Lost Sanctuary
by ShadowFury12
Summary: I thought that you were lost. Everyone did. You had slipped away, lost in the darkness. Fading from memories. But not from hearts. I still feel you here, inside me. Now that I am whole again...Axel, I promise I will make you the same." No, not yaoi...
1. Heart of a Nobody

_It hurt…._

_He lay, broken and bleeding on the cold stone floor. His skin was torn as if cut by a sword. Thousands of swords. But these stung more than any blade wound. Tears built up in his eyes. _It hurt….

_The tears bled down his cheeks, stinging his wounds. He looked at his hand that lay in front of him. The skin was hidden behind crimson. The sight made him sick. It was all red…the blood…it was everywhere…._

_He couldn't move. He could barely think. His entire body was shaking, trembling. Pitiful cries, whimpers escaped from his lips. Cries of pain. Cries for help. Crying because it hurt so much…. But there was nobody was there to hear him._

_How did this happen? Cold ate at his bloodied skin. How did he get here? How did this happen…?_

_He couldn't remember anything. Nothing of before. He didn't remember being getting hurt, coming here, perhaps he had been unconscious moments before. But no, he didn't even remember waking up. But how did he get here?_

_The cold of the room enveloped him. Closed in around him. His weak cries echoed around him. _Help me…. This hurts….

It hurts….

---

Sora woke with a start and leapt for the bathroom, barely making it before he threw up. He sat on the linoleum floor, trembling as he struggled to fight the nausea down. That dream…. It had been so real. The pain….that indescribable pain…. He had felt it. He really had felt it….

He felt the nausea build up again and he choked, barely keeping from throwing up again. He put a hand to his mouth and an arm around his torso to keep him warm. Cold was creeping in on him, but not the same as in the dream. That had been dark…it had been like ice. Enclosing you, blocking off all hope, all signs of life. So deep it made your bones hurt.

Sora flushed the toilet and pulled himself to his feet using the shower, stumbling over to the sink. He washed off his face but didn't bother to dry it, just stared down into the basin, knuckles gripping the sides of the sink, watching the cold water drip off his nose and down the drain.

It had been only a few months since he, Riku and Kairi had returned to Destiny Islands. They had never forgot about their pasts, what had happened during those years they had been lost in other worlds. But this nightmare…. He had dreams during his journeys, a lot of them enough to make your skin crawl. But none like this. There had never been like this before….

Riku had said that when he was lost in the darkness he had had haunting visions. Both when awake and asleep. He said they had been so horrible…unbearable. Were they like this dream?

Sora shook his head. No. He wasn't having the same dreams as Riku. He wasn't being taken over by darkness. They had all been defeated…. Sure, there were still heartless out there. It was impossible to defeat them all, unless they cleared the darkness out of everyone's hearts. But there was no more Ansem, no more Organization XIII. No one to take him over by darkness….

Finally Sora straightened, grabbing a towel and wiping his face dry. He buried his face in the cloth for a long time, not emerging until his thoughts had been cleared. Until his worries had been dulled. He glanced up at the mirror with a sigh.

His breath caught in his throat and Sora froze.

In the mirror was Roxas.

Sora jerked in surprise, looking down at his hands. But they were still his own, not Roxas'. Looking up, still stunned, Sora met the image's gaze.

It smiled at him.

Sora held back a yelp of surprise as he stumbled back, heart pounding. What was this? A horror movie? First being torn to shreds, now ghosts?

Roxas laughed. "Sora, it's me. You don't need to freak out."

"B-But, how'd you get…?" Sora stammered stupidly, looking from himself to the mirror. Roxas laughed again.

"I'm you. Remember? I can talk to you this way. Now please, listen to me. I need your help."

---

Sora sat on the toilet lid, staring into the mirror at Roxas. Roxas stared at him hard for a moment, thinking. Sora waited, feeling himself starting to slip away into sleep. It must be at least two in the morning. But Sora struggled to stay awake and waited, seeing Roxas wanted to tell him something important.

Roxas closed his eyes. "I…I know that you've only been home for a few months. You've only been reunited to your family and home recently…."

Sora nodded. His parents had been terrified, not knowing where he had been. They hadn't seen him in two years. And everyone here didn't even remember him. It took a while of seeing his face for them to remember. But it was good to be home again.

"But…I need you to leave Destiny Islands."

Sora blinked. "What? But…."

Roxas didn't speak. There was guilt in his eyes.

"Roxas, why do you want me to leave Destiny Islands? Do you need help? What's wrong?"

Roxas still didn't speak.

Sora did his best to look concerned for his other self, but inside he felt anger starting to grow. No. He wouldn't leave now. Not after just getting home. But Sora fought down the anger. Roxas might need his help. He couldn't ignore him. Even if it meant leaving his family and friends again…right?

Roxas' gaze slid towards the ground, not looking Sora in the eyes. Sora waited, not sure what Roxas wanted. Why did he want him to leave?

"…Roxas?" He asked finally.

"N-Never mind," Roxas finally forced out, looking Sora in the face with a casual smile on his face. "Just forget what I said…okay?"

Sora looked into his Nobody's face. "Roxas…" he murmured. But Roxas shrugged off his stare.

"You should get to bed. You look like a wreck," he said.

Sora put a hand to his face as if feeling for abnormalities, but it felt fine. When he looked up at the mirror again, Roxas was gone. And his own reflection was staring him in the face.

---

Sora woke the next morning, sitting up and stretching his arms wide. He yawned deeply, looking out his window at the bright sun. Last night…it had all seemed so odd. Was it all a dream? But no, he could taste the vomit on his tongue. So it had been real…even that conversation with Roxas?

"Roxas!" Sora shouted, throwing back the covers and leaping for his bathroom. He looked into the mirror. "Roxas!" he shouted again. But all there was was his own reflection. He shouted again, but still Roxas did not answer. He was still curious…what had he wanted last night? Last night he had been too tired to pursue for answers, and now that he was awake Roxas was gone.

"Sora, wake up!" Sora's mom called from downstairs. "Summer doesn't last much longer, you don't want to waste it all sleeping!"

Sora called back to her to let her know he heard her and went to get dressed. He would try to find Roxas later. Today he had said he would meet Riku and Kairi at the island. They had set up a time, he was supposed to be there by-

Sora glanced at his clock.

"Oh _crap_!" he shouted and ran for his dresser.

Getting dressed is much more complicated when you're trying to do it in a hurry. When putting on his shirt Sora found himself with his head in his sleeve, and when he tried to fix the error while changing his pants at the same time he tripped on his half put on socks and hit the closet headlong. Sora yelled in agitation and pain and rubbed his head with one hand, still putting on his pants with the other.

In the end it took almost ten minutes and three trips upstairs to fix mistakes for everything to be in their right place. Sora groaned. He must be really tired from last night.

Sora blinked. Last night. That reminded him. Would he tell Kairi and Riku about his dream? Sora thought as he stole a piece of toast from a plate in the kitchen. He probably wouldn't tell Kairi. It might worry her. She was always making sure him and Riku were alright after being gone for so long, and this dream just might throw her over the edge and lock him in his room for life to make sure he would be safe.

But Riku…he might know what was wrong. If anything was wrong. But what if he couldn't explain? Would he be worried, too?

Sora shook his head, casting the thoughts from his head. There was nothing wrong with him. It was just a dream. A nightmare. There was nothing wrong with it.

So without a second thought on the subject, Sora ran hard towards the island.

"Hey Sora, think fast!"

Sora stopped short, whirling around, looking for Riku. Where was he this time? Every time…every damn time…. He always did this. Either pushing him, knocking him over, once he even _threw_ him. But it always ended with Sora in the water.

Sora whirled again, but Riku was nowhere in sight. Sora tensed.

"You won't get me this time, Riku! I've gotten you before!"

"What're you doing, Sora?"

Sora turned, seeing Kairi. "Oh…hi Kairi. You haven't seen Riku, have you?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Kairi laughed.

"You two still playing that game?"

"It's not a game!" Sora said defensively. "It's a deadly match between a bloodthirsty, cutthroat bastard and a helpless victim! It's an abuse of power and ability to pick on those younger and weaker than you! It's a-!"

The next thing Sora knew he was face first in the shallow water. He heard a laugh behind him.

"It's another thing that I can beat you at," Riku said proudly, looking down at him from the island above.

Sora pulled himself from the water, climbing the ladder that lead to the island. He glared at Riku. "I've beaten you before!" he pouted.

Riku laughed again. "It's 73 to 29. I'm _clobbering_ you."

Sora's glare intensified, and he was glad that he had matured enough so that his glare wasn't as cute as his smile. He had hated that. Nobody would take him seriously.

Riku pulled him up the last of the ladder, helping him to his feet. He grinned at him from behind his long bangs, his green eyes gleaming. Ever since they had returned, Riku had been different. He had made sure to hide it behind his jokes and outgoing personality, but you could still see it in those emerald eyes. All those years in darkness had smothered his childlike innocence, replacing it with empty darkness.

Sora eyed Riku's outfit. "You're still wearing those clothes?" he said with distaste.

Riku grinned, showing his teeth. "You're just jealous that you don't look hot in clothes like these."

Sora frowned. "What? You look like you were dressed by a basketball player! You wouldn't catch me dead in those clothes."

"Because you'd be too busy wearing that awful red clown suit you used to wear. You flaunted your skinny chicken legs!"

"Better than those poofy pants _you_ used to wear! They were three times the size of regular pants! They were _huge_!"

"C'mon, Sora. Don't be jealous. You know you think it's sexy."

Kairi laughed, watching the two argue. She knew they didn't mean it, they were just being competitive. Just like brothers. Kairi smiled. They were just like brothers…. Even as close as family.

But she hadn't even finished that thought before Riku had shoved Sora back down into the water, Sora grabbing Riku by the collar and pulling him down with him. She laughed out loud, almost falling to her knees. They were both such idiots, it was amusing just to be around them.

---

_To this day I don't know why he did it. I don't even know if he was too sure himself. But I know that if I had a heart, it would have shattered that day._

Sora woke, hearing those words in his mind. He blinked drowsily. What was that…? He thought back on the words. They were still clear in his mind. _If I had a heart…._ What did that mean? Nobodies didn't have hearts…. But then why was this in _his_ head?

---

That evening, when the sun was going down, Sora went up to their usual spot. Up on the roof of one of the shacks they had built on the island. You could see far from the top of the island, and it was a good place to forget everything and relax. But Sora had just set foot on the roof, stepping from the tree that he had used to get up here, when his eyes fell upon Riku. He was lying back, arms behind his head, staring up at the orange sky.

Sora walked up to him, sitting beside him. He put his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, sitting back and staring up at the sky as well.

"What're you doing?" he asked. Riku didn't answer. A pang of remorse hit him. Riku must be thinking hard…. He must be thinking about when he was in the darkness. Often Sora would find him staring off into space, a pained look in his eyes. It must be terrible for him to think about. All those years he had been lost in the dark….

Sora tried to think of something to say, trying to figure out how to phrase the words right.

"Riku…do you feel guilty? Do you feel bad for all the things you did when you were lost in darkness?"

No answer. Did he not want to talk about it? Sora almost stopped there, but he couldn't. He needed to help his friend.

"Me and Kairi don't blame you. Nobody blames you. After all, if it hadn't been for your help we would have never defeated Organization XIII."

Still no answer.

"Riku…" Sora murmured. Was he really that hurt? He looked over at his friend, trying to find the glint of green eyes behind the bangs. But there wasn't one. His eyes were closed.

He was asleep.

"_What the crap?_" Sora shouted, nearly pulling his hair out. Riku sat bolt upright.

"Whawazat?" he stammered, still half-asleep. He yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth. Then he looked over at Sora. "Oh, hey. When did you get here?"

Sora gaped at him.

Riku laughed. "Haha! What's with the face?"

After all that time he had just spent thinking of how to reassure his friend, he wasn't even awake to hear it. Sora groaned and turned away. "Nothing."

Riku shrugged and turned towards the sunset. "I remember we used to go up here all the time," he said. Then he gave a short, bitter laugh. "We'd always dream of different worlds we could go to. Different places we could see. But now that we're back, all we want to do is stay here."

Sora's conversation with Roxas hit him again. "Yeah," he said thoughtfully. "Too much of a good thing, I guess."

Riku gave another bitter laugh. "Good thing? Speak for yourself."

Before Sora could respond Riku stood, brushing off his pants. "I'm gonna head home. I've spent enough time thinking up here for one night. See you tomorrow."

Sora nodded and waved a farewell, not turning as Riku walked off. Too much of a good thing…had that all been a good thing? Sure, they met new people. They saw new worlds. Hell, they saved dozens of worlds and thousands of lives from being destroyed. But in the process…had they helped themselves at all? They were all so mature now…. Maybe even mature beyond their age. In the process of saving all those lives, had his, Riku's and Kairi's youth been destroyed?

---

_My heart…if only I had a heart. If only I could feel this pain…. Because then I wouldn't feel guilty for forgetting him. If only this hurt…. I want to cry. I want to scream. I want to bleed. But none of these emotions come. It makes this seem unreal. Like I don't care. Like I never will care. But that is wrong. I will care forever. I cared then. And it tore me apart, leaving me in pieces on the floor._

---

Sora woke, sunlight grazing his face. He rose from his pillow, wiping the moisture from his eyes. He stared at them in the dawn's light, glinting on his fingertips. Tears. Tears? Why was he crying? Words…he heard them again. He felt their pain. Their loneliness. Their agony. But it wasn't his agony. Who's was it?

Again the question haunted him. _Who is feeling all this pain?_

Tidus and Wakka joined them around noon. They shouted a greeting, leaping down from the ledge and onto the beach.

"Hey, guys!" Tidus said, waving to them. Then he looked at Sora, who was soaking wet. "What happened to you?"

"Riku got you again, yah?" Wakka laughed.

Sora glared, not answering. That only made Wakka laugh harder.

"Where is Riku, anyways?" Tidus asked.

"He had to go somewhere today," Kairi said. "He left around noon."

"Darn," Tidus muttered. "I wanted to challenge him again today."

"Still can't beat him?" Kairi asked, laughing.

Now it was Tidus' turn to frown. Sora laughed.

"C'mon! Even I can beat him!"

"Don't give me that crap," Tidus scoffed. "You're the friggin' Keyblade Master. Of course you can kick his ass."

Sora laughed again.

Kairi sighed, smiling. "If all you guys are gonna do is argue, I'm going to look for Selphie. Do you know where she is?"

Tidus pointed behind him, not looking away from Sora for a moment. Kairi walked off in the direction he had pointed in.

"If you're gonna challenge someone, why not me?" Sora asked, grinning, showing his teeth. He put his hands behind his head arrogantly.

Tidus pointed his weapon, a carved stick at Sora's head. "You're on!"

But Wakka grabbed him by the back of the collar. "Don't even try it. You remember what happened last time, yah?"

"But I'm stronger this time!" Tidus protested. "I'll get him!" Tidus kicked, trying to lunge forwards, but Wakka didn't let go.

"That's what Sora says every time Riku challenges him to something, but you don't see him winning, do you?"

"Hey!" Sora shouted, frowning. "I thought you were complimenting me just a second ago!"

"It's just so fun to make you pout, Sora, we can't resist an opportunity," Kairi said, returning with Selphie. She laughed.

"Whatever, Kairi," Sora said, trying his best not to pout. It was hard.

Selphie giggled. Then she turned to the others. "Where's Riku?"

"His parents probably dragged him off to the doctors again," Kairi said.

"Again?" Tidus stammered. "Didn't he go just last week?"

"They think he's going insane," Wakka said with a laugh. "All that stuff about darkness, Nobodies, Heartless, they overheard Sora and him talking. Ever since they've been taking him to the doctors to check up on him."

"Why aren't you at the doctors then, Sora?"

Sora laughed. "My parents are less neurotic. I don't think they'd care even if I was talking to voices in my head. And besides, I'm not stupid enough to let myself be overheard by my parents!"

Kairi frowned. "Sora, it's not his fault. Don't call him stupid."

"Just because you think he's hot doesn't mean you can always defend him, yah?"

Kairi blushed. "I don't think he's hot!" she stammered.

Tidus laughed. "Yeah right!"

"Really! I just don't think we should laugh at him for something like that."

"_And_ you think he's hot."

"_Sora_!"

---

Riku returned that evening. Sora, Kairi and Riku all went down to the beach for the last few hours, walking along the shores. They talked about random things, family, school, and often laughed at each other. And even more often where fighting each other. Riku and Sora were soon soaked and half drowned, and probably would have been unconscious as well if Kairi hadn't pulled them apart. But they were still laughing.

"Damn," Riku said, shaking his hair vigorously to get it dry. It made it even shaggier, his favorite look. "My parents are screwed up. When I get home they'll probably think I got wet trying to talk to the little mermaid."

"What? You told them about Ariel?" Sora laughed. He clasped his hands in mock excitement. "Oh, I just love that Ariel! I can just imagine if her little bikini slipped!" he teased.

"Shut up!" Riku shouted, shoving Sora warningly. He laughed. "They probably heard _you_ talking about her. You're the one with the big mouth."

"What? My mouth isn't big!" Sora protested, struggling to keep his mouth small as he shouted. That only made Riku laugh harder. He turned to Kairi.

"What would you do for entertainment without us, Kairi?" he asked, flashing his white teeth.

"I'd probably be a lot more sane," she said, grinning.

"And what fun would that be?"

Kairi laughed, staring at the ocean. She yawned. "How many days until summer is over?"

"I forget," Riku said.

"Apparently along with your grammar," Sora laughed. Riku pushed him again.

"I hope we still have a while longer…" Kairi said, ignoring them. She stared, almost at nothing. As if she was staring out into the other worlds.

Finally she spoke again. "We had better get back home." She shot Riku a glance. "If we don't your mom might think you were out here trying to conjure heartless."

Riku groaned. "That's so true it isn't funny," he said as he walked off.

---

He got up in the middle of the night. It was just past midnight. He stood, walking to the bathroom. Turning on the light, he looked at his reflection. Just as it should be. Short, dirty blond hair. Clear round eyes. A determined expression.

Not Sora's face.

"Sorry, Sora," Roxas murmured. "I'll have to take over for a while…. There's someone I need to help."


	2. Lost in the Darkness

_A scattered dream that's like a far off memory…a far off memory that's like a scattered dream…. But when you try to see them both separately…when you try to tell them apart…the image is muddled and unclear. And then you have to choose for yourself._

* * *

Roxas opened the window, leaping from the bedroom to the tree to the ground. Then he ran down the street, towards the other houses. Kairi's house.

_Namine, are you there?_

_Yes…I thought you called me in a dream. So it was real?_

_In a way…. But I need your help. I…took over Sora's body._

_You _what!

_Yeah…I know…but I need a body, even if it's only for a short while. He should remain asleep until I take him back home._

_Where are you going?_

… … …_To look for Axel._

…_Roxas… …Axel is dead._

_Yeah... …I know. I saw it. But…I think there's a way to bring him back._

_What? How?_

_Meet me at the island in five minutes._

_What? But…I can't just take over Kairi's body. Who knows how long we'll be gone? _

_Please Namine…I need your help._

There was a long silence in Roxas' thoughts. Then finally he heard Namine's response.

… …_Okay. I'll meet you there._

_

* * *

We stand at the top of one of the tall black towers, staring down at the ground far below. I lean over the edge, my feet barely still on the ground. The wind threatens to knock me off the floor and into the air but I fight it, staring out into the blackness before us. He watches me, silent. I glance at him. There is an unreadable look in his eyes._

"_What?" I ask, searching his face._

"_Nothing," he answers, looking away. _

_There's something in his voice that makes me think he knows something I don't. I look at him hard, but he doesn't even flinch. Even when he's burning with the fires of rage he's cooler than ice, undaunted. He doesn't even twitch under my gaze. Finally I, too, look away._

_A few more moments of thoughtful silence. Then he surprises me._

"_You're staying here, right?"_

_I blink and look at him. "What?"_

"_You aren't going to leave here ever, are you?" There's a tone in his voice I can't decipher. _

_I shrug. "I have to leave sometime, but I can stay up here for a while longer. Why?"_

_His lips press together for a brief moment. That's not what I meant, his eyes say. I start to ask what he was trying to say when he smiles, his usual half-sneer hidden behind his eyeliner._

"_Good. Then you wanna see something cool?" Eagerness in his eyes. Mischievous eagerness. I can't help but to laugh at his expression._

"_Sure, go ahead," I say, stepping from the ledge and turning to face him._

_He steps into the middle of the tower roof, taking a deep breath. He closes, his eyes, bending his head towards the ground. Then, with shocking speed and energy, he lashes his arms out wide to either side, palms outstretched. There is a flash of white and then his unique weapons are there, inches from his palms. They spin, so fast they are a blur of light. They gather energy. I take a step back. There is so much energy…so much power…._

_Then he throws his head back, facing the sky with a monstrous yell. As his voice echoes through the night columns of fire burst around him, swirling around him, consuming him._

_I yell, leaping back against the ledge. Still I barely avoid being engulfed by the flames. It shoots up to the sky, so high it disappears into the darkness. It's mesmerizing. I can't look away. It's as if it's burning inside of me…controlling me…._

_Finally the fire burns away, leaving only awe. I laugh in amazement, looking down at my friend. "What the hell was that?" I ask. But when my gaze falls upon him I stop short. He is on his hands and knees, breathing hard, almost collapsing. _

_With a yell of surprise and shock I run forwards, helping him against the ledge. Helping him sit. _

"_What happened?" I stammer, looking him over. "What did you do?"_

_He laughs, a single chuckle between his gasps. Even through the weakness you can still hear his usual laugh. "It's nothing. I just used up to much strength," he says, shaking me off with his hand. But he still can't stand. _

"_Used up too much of your strength?"_

_He nods. "Usually that would completely drain my energy, but I toned it down since this isn't the real deal." He still has a calm look on his face. Undaunted. Doesn't he know how dangerous that could be? I look at him hard._

"_What's the point of a technique that nearly kills you after using it?"_

"_Actually, it's supposed to kill me."_

_That makes me stop short. I gape at him. "Wh...What?"_

_He smiles weakly. Bitterly. Sadly. "This move is supposed to kill me," he repeats. "It's a suicide technique. A final stand."_

"_Why?" I demand. Growing angry. "Why the hell do you want something like that?" Why do you want to throw yourself away like that? Why would you even spend time working on a technique like that?_

_Why would you kill yourself?_

"…_To protect someone with my last breath," he says. But his eyes say more. To protect someone important to me, they say. To protect………._

_I start. Stare at his eyes. Confused. Amazed. He laughs._

"_Next time, when I use all of my strength, when I throw my body and soul into this technique, I will use my life to save another's." He laughs again, this time with a sigh. "But don't freak out. I don't think that well ever happen in my life."_

_I close my eyes, still recovering. To protect someone important to me………. So that is what he had meant…when he said don't leave. When he said don't disappear. I'm the only one here for him. I'm the only one who understands him. I'm the only one he can trust. I open my eyes, a grin on my face. _

"_So what's that called, anyways?"_

_A grin flashes across his face, the flash of white teeth. Proud. Devilish. "Pyroega," he replies, smug. He gives a short laugh._

_I laugh and help him to his feet._

* * *

Sora woke drowsily, as if he was still in a dream. That memory… …it was a memory…? Yes…it had happened. It was foggy, yet clear at the same time. All the images…all the words…they were sharp and clear. Save for the voices. The faces. He couldn't recognize anyone in that memory. He didn't remember that memory at all. It hadn't been his. At least, not that he could remember.

Everything was still fuzzy, even though he was still awake. It was all so unclear. Why was he so tired…?

He struggled to see. Everything was lost in darkness. With a groan he shook his head, trying to shake the darkness away. But still he couldn't see. What was going on…?

"Namine!"

Namine looked up, seeing Roxas coming towards him. She gave him a quiet smile. "Roxas…are you sure you really want to do this? We shouldn't abuse our powers as Nobodies…."

Roxas looked away for a moment. "These are our bodies as much as it is theirs. We are one and the same…we have the same rights." He tuned back to her. "But I don't want to argue about what is right or wrong, Namine. Come on, we have to look for Axel."

Roxas ran off and Namine followed. "What do you plan on doing?" she asked, through gasps. "Axel's dead. As hard as you try you can't bring him back, Roxas. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

But Roxas didn't even pause. "…I just…remembered. Realized, actually. I was a Nobody of Sora. There was a Heartless Sora, the real Sora, and me…. So why wouldn't there be a Heartless, Nobody and real Axel?"

Namine pressed her lips together. "Okay…but don't rely on hope, Roxas. You never know what could go wrong. You never know when you're making a mistake…."

Sora caught glimpses of movement. Brief scenes that didn't even last for a second. A slight glimpse of the beach. The ocean. A girl. Running. The island. What was this…? And why couldn't he wake up?

Why wouldn't he wake up…?

_Kairi……_he thought weakly. He couldn't feel anything at all. Not even a flicker of life. _Kairi…! Kairi!_

No answer.

_Riku! Kairi! RIKU!_

He shouted for help. But no sound would come out. He was lost…lost, not even sure if he was in a world or not. Not even sure which way was up or down.

Not even sure if he was alive.

Riku jerked awake, immediately upright and covers thrown aside. He blinked and groaned, looking at his clock. It was only twelve fifteen…why had he woken up so early…?

He started to sit back when he heard the shout again.

_Riku!_

Riku jerked again. Sora? What was that? It had been inside of his head…. Was he really going crazy like his parents thought he was?

Riku felt himself being pulled towards the island. He leapt out of bed, throwing on clothes. Crazy or not, he felt Sora calling him. And if he didn't help his friends, he would never forgive himself.

His footsteps were heavy on the beach. Steady, not once faltering on the shifting sand, Riku ran across the beach on the island. In the night it was hard to see, but his eyes were quickly adjusting to the light of the moon. He searched the shore, but nothing. Where had the voices been from? Who had needed him?

If anyone had needed him…. Riku felt a pang of alarm. He wasn't going mad…right? Those years lost in darkness hadn't effected him… … …right?

Suddenly Riku saw a flicker of movement. Hope filled him. So there had been something after all…. But what if there was something wrong? What if there were heartless? Nobodies?

Easy. He had defeated thousands in those years in different worlds. Just a few more wouldn't be a difficulty at all.

He saw a form, stopping to catch it's breath. It looked human. But it wasn't Sora or Kairi.

Without hesitation Riku leapt, knocking the figure to the ground. He caught a glimpse of blond hair and pale skin.

"Namine?" Riku stammered. "What are you doing? Where's Kairi?"

Namine looked devastated. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm sorry! I knew I shouldn't have…but…I needed to help…."

Panic ran through him again. "What did you do?" Riku demanded. "What did you do to Kairi!" Why was she so distraught? It made his heart race.

"Namine!"

Another voice. Riku whirled, seeing a figure leap towards him. A Keyblade was in his hands.

"Roxas!" Riku shouted, his vicious Road to Dawn materializing in his hands. He lunged forwards, knocking aside Roxas' keyblade. "Where's Sora?"

Roxas recovered, leaping back and spinning around, lashing out with his blade. Riku leapt around it, closing in, forcing Roxas to the ground. He pushed him onto the ground, stomping hard on his back. Holding him down with his foot.

"Where's Sora?" he demanded again, growing angry. He wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to know where his friends were.

Roxas flinched. He struggled to get up, but Riku pushed harder with his foot. "Tell me!" he demanded. Then he whirled to Namine, who was starting to get up. He pointed his blade at her. "Don't you move," he said. "Not until I know what's going on here."

Nobodies…they had been their enemies…. Even when they're Kairi's and Sora's Nobody, they've still been eaten away at by darkness. They still control the darkness. They're still his enemy. They had taken over his friend's bodies, taking them away. _They still want nothing more than to be human…. _

Namine looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Riku," she said quietly. "I had to help Roxas…he said he needed my help…."

"Doing what?" Riku questioned, turning towards Roxas. "What's so important that you would take over Sora's body?"

Roxas didn't answer. Riku put more pressure onto his back.

"What did you take over Sora's body for!" he demanded.

"I needed Sora's help," Roxas finally answered, voice loud, "for something you should understand."

That stopped Riku short.

"You three are all friends. Best friends. You went through worlds just to find each other." He closed his eyes as if trying to block out a bitter memory. "And the one friend I have in this world…the one friend that would throw himself away for me is gone…and I want to find him. I need to find him. I don't want to lose him!"

Riku was frozen. He wasn't sure what to do. But Roxas took the opportunity.

With a shout he leapt to his feet, Riku loosing his balance. Then he lashed out with the keyblade, knocking him onto the wet sand. Riku fell hard on his back, dazed, struggling to breathe.

"Namine!" Roxas shouted, running towards the small island across the bridge. "Hurry!"

Namine hesitated. This was wrong…they shouldn't be doing this…. Her eyes fell upon Riku, struggling to get up from where he was on the ground. There was pain on his face. Desperation. He just didn't want to lose his friends again….

"Namine!"

Namine swallowed hard, then ran after Roxas across the bridge.

Roxas waited for her to catch up, then turned to the center of the island. Using his powers he made a portal, seething with darkness. Then he leapt into it, disappearing into the black, rippling shadows.

Namine followed, casting a last glance at the small form of Riku. _He just doesn't want to lose his friends again…._

Roxas felt pain and guilt jab at him as he ran through the portal. He knew he shouldn't be doing this…. He knew he shouldn't take over Sora's body to help himself…. But he couldn't stand it any longer. He couldn't just forget him. He couldn't just leave the memory of Axel alone…it always came back to haunt him.

_I'm sorry, Riku,_ he thought. _I promise…no matter what it takes…. I'll bring your friend back to you._

Riku struggled to get up, his feet slipping on the wet shifting sand. No…he couldn't lose them…. Not already…. Not after being separated for so long.

Clutching his side, lungs still feeling crumpled, Riku stumbled to his feet. He saw two forms running across the wooden bridge towards the small island. No…he couldn't let them get away.

"Roxas!" Riku shouted as loudly as he could with his aching lungs. Not loud enough. He couldn't be heard over the roaring waves. "_ROXAS!_"

Running across the sands he leapt against the shack, pulling himself up with the roof. Flipping onto the roof he stumbled, barely able to regain his balance. Then he leapt forwards, trying to reach the bridge. To reach the island. To reach them before it was too late.

Roxas gathered his power and created a portal, ones the Nobodies used to travel from place to place. He was going to lose them….

"Namine! Roxas!" he shouted again. At the top of his voice. This time Namine turned. And even from the distance he could see the sadness in her eyes.

_I'm sorry_, they said. _I'm sorry…._

And then they stepped into the portal.

"No! Stop! _Stop_!"

He leapt from the bridge towards the island. But too late. The portal disappeared into a flicker of darkness. Riku leapt towards where it had been, but it had disappeared completely. He stumbled, falling to his knees. He pounded his fist against the ground.

"No…dammit…."

He punched the ground again, this time so hard the thought he would bleed. "…Dammit…_goddammit_…."

After all that effort. After all those years. They were gone again. He gave a bitter laugh. It didn't have a flicker of happiness in it at all. That one laugh was filled with fury. Anger. Wrath. Regret. It was like a sigh. A choke. A choke suffocated of all happiness. They were gone.

Suddenly darkness started to flicker around him. Riku started, sitting up. The darkness flickered all around him, lapping at his hands and knees. Curling around his arms, crawling up his skin. He gave a start, clenching his teeth.

"Riku…."

Riku whirled, seeing Namine behind him. Looking at him from a portal.

"I won't…separate you again."

"N…Namine…" Riku stammered, startled. But already the darkness had crept up his chest, heading for his neck. Riku took a sharp breath, but the darkness already was curling around his throat. Suffocating him. Crawling for his face. His eyes. His mouth. To blind him. To suffocate him. To drown him.

"I'm sorry," Namine said, just before darkness completely engulfed him.


	3. Distant Paths

_He struggled. He was being strangled by darkness. He choked as it crawled down his throat but no breath came out, smothered by the consuming shadows. He blinked but there was nothing to see. He yelled but no sound could be heard. The darkness was taking him over. Eating at his body. His mind. Engulfing him. _

_He heard himself cry out. Yell. For help, guidance, even reassurance. He wasn't sure. But his voice couldn't be heard in the empty abyss. He was drowning…being crushed…dying in so many ways he couldn't imagine them all…. But he was dying…._

* * *

But that had been two years ago. That had been before he had embraced the darkness. When he had wanted to desperately to leave his world. So desperately wanted to escape his prison. So badly he had let darkness consume him. Take him over.

He had thought that he would find freedom when giving himself to darkness. But instead he became only more controlled.

But now he knew the darkness. Now he knew its feeling, its overpowering feeling of emptiness. Its feeling of death…it made you want to die. He was used to the emptiness. He was used to being smothered. He hadn't taken a breath in two years. He hadn't felt light inside him for two years….

Sora fought furiously, but in his weak state it only became a weak thrashing. He had to fight it…. He didn't know what was going on, but something was telling him he was in trouble. His friends were in trouble….

Sora gave a shout, trying to gather his energy. Gathering his strength. Focusing on his light. He had to chase away this darkness before something happened. Who knows what as going on…. Who knows who may be in trouble. He had to fight…he had to escape….

Roxas' footsteps shifted from empty abyss to hard marble as he stepped into the white halls of the Nobody's Fortress. He stopped, looking around. He hadn't seen these halls in a long time….

Namine stepped behind him, her soft shoes making barely a sound on the floor. She looked around as well, searching.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

"I don't know…" Roxas answered, thinking. "I need someplace to think, and this seemed as good as any." With a sigh he ran his fingers along the empty thrones, the tall towers that lead up to the ceiling. He stopped at his own.

"They're all dead now…" he murmured. "For trying to achieve a common goal…. And only one of them reached it." He gave a bitter smile. "I was the only one who managed to find a heart."

Namine walked behind him, watching his back. "…Roxas…."

Roxas gave a quick sigh, clearing his mind. Then he turned back to Namine with a smile. "But we shouldn't be thinking about that. We should be trying to figure out how to get Axel back."

"But how do you now he can come back?" Namine asked, hesitant. He looked so hopeful…she didn't want to shatter his dream. His hope. But even friendship couldn't bring someone back from the dead.

This time Roxas gave a real grin. "Easy," he said, a light in his eyes that made Namine smile. He was so excited….

"It took me a long time to figure it out…" Roxas murmured. "But then I got it. Nobodies and Heartless are created all the time. When someone's heart is consumed by darkness. But that has been changed before, when the Heartless had been turned back to light, the Nobody locked back into the body."

Roxas faltered, stumbling. Namine hurried up to him but Roxas steadied, shrugging her off. Then he looked up at her again, continuing. "Axel's Nobody is lost…. Probably forever. But he can still be brought back. All we need to do is do exactly what had happened before, and we may be able to reverse the darkness in his heart."

Namine blinked. "What? Roxas, what are you talking about?"

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but before he could make a sound he stumbled again, this time completely losing his balance.

"Roxas!"

Roxas heard her shout, but couldn't respond. He felt himself slipping away into unconsciousness, darkness overcoming his vision. He couldn't even make a sound before his fell into the darkness, falling into nothing.

Riku came to his senses, lying on solid ground. Cold stone was against his face. He groaned, coughed, rubbing his throbbing head. Either that portal had given him a harsh ride, or Roxas was a lot stronger than he looks.

"Um…are you alright?"

Riku looked up into the large clear eyes of Aerith. He felt a shudder crawl up his spine. Ugh…Aerith. That was not the first thing he wanted to see after waking up. Sora had always complained, telling him his insults were just out of jealousy. But he didn't give a damn. Cloud, Leon, hell, if Yuffie wanted Aerith he didn't care. Just send her off somewhere far away so he didn't have to hear that voice of hers again.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice making Riku's hands twitch as if wrapping around her throat. But he fought down the urges.

"Yeah…" he murmured, pulling himself to his feet. Hallow Bastion…how had he gotten here? Namine had bought him here…but why here?

"Where are the others?" he asked. Dismissively. Letting her know he didn't want to talk to her. Letting her know she should find a rock to hit her head against.

Aerith didn't get the hint. "They're over this way," she said. "I'll take you to them." As the two talked Aerith asked questions, ones he knew were sure to be asked.

"What are you here for?"

"Dunno."

"Is anyone here with you?"

"Maybe."

"How'd you get here?"

"The usual."

"Are you here looking for someone again?"

"Sure."

This carried on for a moment before they finally reached the building where Yuffie, Leon, Merlin and Cid lived. The group greeted him when he walked through the door.

"Riku?" Yuffie cried, running up to him. "What're you doing here?"

Riku shrugged. "I don't have a clue. One moment I'm in bed, the next I'm on the beach fighting Roxas and Namine to save Sora and Kairi, and then I'm here."

That brief description, of course, was not nearly enough to suffice. So a few minutes later of explaining, Riku had finally told them everything he knew.

"Quite a story," Leon said in his usual low tone, discouraging of conversation but bold enough to cut in before anyone could respond.

"But how can Nobodies take over Sora and Kairi's bodies? They aren't even real, are they?" Cid asked.

Riku gave a bitter laugh. "They're real enough," he muttered, rubbing his chest where Roxas' keyblade had hit him.

"So you're out here looking for them?" Yuffie asked, her usual grin on her face. "When you finally manage to get a break from fighting?"

Riku shrugged. "I guess after the past few years of running around worlds, defeating secret organizations that are trying to control Kingdom Hearts and saving countless worlds, life would be boring without some twists, yeah?"

Yuffie laughed. "Well it isn't exactly quiet around here, either. Heartless are still attacking, despite Tron's improvements to our security system."

"But things haven't been getting worse," Aerith protested. "Heartless may still be attacking, but that's almost unavoidable. Not while there's still darkness in everyone's heart."

Riku shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that's unavoidable," he said. "I don't see how we could eliminate darkness from _every_ heart. But I guess it's still worth trying, right?"

Cid nodded. "That's what ol' silent and moody is here for," he said, jerking a thumb at a figure next to him. Riku blinked. He hadn't even noticed the seventh person in the room.

Cloud didn't turn, back still turned to the rest of the group. He bent over the computer, typing away at the keyboard.

"He's helping us search for ways to eliminate the darkness," he said. "He's not too bad with computers, either."

"…I'm only here until you help me find Sephiroth," Cloud murmured, his tone even darker than Leon's. "He's part of the darkness we're eliminating. He's mine."

Riku walked forwards, his amused look glinting in his eyes. A first sign that he was going to try to bug the crap out of someone.

"Hey Cloud," he said. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

Cloud grunted, still not looking up from the keyboard.

"Huh. Same attitude," Riku said, looking him over. "But you decided to get a new look, eh?"

This time Cloud didn't even acknowledge hearing Riku speak.

"Black, the new badass color, yeah?"

Cloud's temple throbbed slightly, but he continued to work.

Riku didn't even hesitate. "But what's with the sleeves?" he asked. "How come you only have one?"

"Because I used the other one to strangle the last person who talked to me," he said, continuing to type.

Riku started to laugh, but thought against it after seeing the look in Cloud's eyes. Not at all comforting. He turned back to the others, leaning against the computer.

"Has there been anything odd around here?" he asked. "I still can't figure out why Namine sent me here…. No signs of Sora? Kairi? Even Roxas or Namine?"

Leon shook his head. "Nobody. We would have noticed if any of those clowns had been running around, trust me."

Riku laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's right." He shrugged. "I'm going to go look around though. Maybe they just showed up."

Yuffie nodded. "Okay. But if you don't find anyone, you can join our committee until they show up. We need someone to start rebuilding walls in the west part of the city."

Riku smiled and nodded, but once the door shut behind him it turned to a grimace. "Maybe I'll just stay out of sight for a while," he murmured, walking down the narrow road.

* * *

He opened his eyes. Namine looked down at him, fear and worry etched on her face.

"Oh…" she murmured. "Oh no…."

He sat up, rubbing his head. "Wh…what's going on?" he asked. "Namine?" Then he saw the look in her eyes. Panic struck him. "What's wrong? What are you so worried about? And why are you here?"

Namine had a hand over her mouth and was murmuring, "No…oh no…."

"Namine, what's wrong?" he repeated.

"I'm so sorry, Sora," she said. "I know we shouldn't have…I'm sorry…."

"Namine," Sora repeated, this time slowly. "What's going on? What's wrong? And how are you here? Where's Kairi?"

Namine looked away for a moment. "Roxas and I…we took you off Destiny Islands."

"…What?"

She closed her eyes, as if worried Sora would yell at her. "We took over your and Kairi's bodies…and let Destiny Islands. Roxas said he needed my help so I did…."

"You took over our bodies?" Sora stammered. "How did you do that?"

Namine shook her head. "We just could, so we did. Roxas was looking for someone…and he didn't want to ask you for help. He didn't want to make you leave the Islands, he thought you'd be back home in your bed before long. But…you woke up first."

"Is that what he wanted my help for?" Sora asked. "He said he wanted a favor, he wanted me to leave the Islands. What did he want help with?"

Namine looked up at him. "To find his friend."

Sora blinked. "What?"

"…Axel. He didn't want to lose him."

"But…Axel's dead… …right?"

Namine shrugged. "He seems to think there's a way to bring him back…. But before he could say anything you regained control and he lost consciousness."

Sora stared at the floor, thinking. He wasn't sure whether to be mad or sorry. Roxas just wanted to see his friend again…. But he had taken Sora from his home and friends to bring him here. Suddenly a thought struck him.

"Riku," he said, looking up. "I remember feeling Riku…I remember calling out to him."

Namine nodded, once again looking away. Nervous. "He…tried to stop us."

A pang of fear struck him again. "Where is he?"

"I knew he didn't want to lose you two again, so…I brought him with us. At least, part of the way. I was in a hurry."

"Where?"

"He should be at the Hallow Bastion."

"Right." Sora stood. "Then come on, that's we're going."

"What?"

Sora glanced at her. "We need to go find Riku."

"But Sora, Roxas said he wanted our help. We can't just go home!"

Sora was silent for a minute before murmuring, "… …Who said anything about going home…?" He looked up and smiled. "We just can't leave Riku alone on Hallow Bastion. Besides, I'm sure he'd help us."

Namine smiled. Then she opened another portal through darkness, stepping through. After a moment, Sora followed.

Sora stepped from the darkness to the Restoring Committee's headquarters. The group gave an exclamation of surprise.

"Hey guys," Sora said, scratching the back of his head and grinning. "Sorry to just barge in here like that."

"Sora?" Yuffie stammered. "You, too? Geez, this is a hell of an exciting day."

"What do you mean?" Namine asked.

"You just missed Riku," Leon said. "He set off a few minutes searching for Sora."

"So he _has_ been here?"

"… …They _just _said that. Why can't people understand things the first time around?"

Sora blinked and glanced at the source of the voice, blinking. "Cloud? What are you doing here?"

"…Don't start."

"What?"

"….If you're anything like your friend then I'll strangle you. Don't talk to me."

Sora stared at Cloud for a long time, the room filled with silence. "Uh… …. …okay…" he said, not taking his eyes off of Cloud's back. He stepped next to Aerith.

"What's making him so angry all the sudden?" he whispered.

"He's gotten close to finding Sephiroth," he said. "He's gotten really serious."

"All this for Sephiroth?"

"He has a one-track mind. If you get in his way then he'll verbally or physically beat you senseless," Yuffie cut in.

"…I can hear every word that you're saying."

The group quickly dispersed, pretending they had never said anything. Sora regained his composure quickly, making sure to stay away from Cloud before he decided to cut him in two.

"When did Riku leave?"

"Just an hour ago," Leon said. Sora nodded.

"I have to go look for him."

"What? Already? C'mon, we'll help you look. Aerith, Cloud, let's go," Yuffie said, turning towards the two.

Sora heard Cloud mutter something that sounded like he'd rather kiss a Chocobo, but nobody paid any attention to his comment.

"No, it's okay. Once we find him we have to go right away. We need to get home as soon as we can."

Leon nodded. "Yeah. But I thought for sure that you'd want nothing more than to keep exploring. Everything must seem dull after your adventures. That's how Riku seems to feel."

Sora stopped. Riku wanted adventures…? Even after all of those things they had been through, he still wanted more?

But he shook off his thoughts. He had to find him before something happened. Who know when Roxas would take him over again.

Sora shrugged. "We've only been home for a few months, and summer ends soon. Besides, even heroes need a break, right?" he added with a grin.

Leon laughed. "Yeah, I guess."

"C'mon, Namine!" Sora said, heading for the doors.

"Make sure you hurry back!" Yuffie called as the doors closed behind them.

* * *

Riku wandered the streets, his posture slouched and hair falling before his eyes dismissively. It made people back off. Discouraged conversation. But it also attracted gazes. Created whispers.

Riku felt eyes upon him but ignored him. They may be curious. They may be wary. He smiled to himself. Or maybe even checking him out. He laughed. He hoped it was the last one.

He wandered until the groups of people around him thinned, soon leaving no one else. The streets were abandoned, making Riku feel edgy. Tense. For some reason something didn't seem right.

Suddenly Riku heard a footstep from behind him. He whirled just in time to see a flash of cloth disappear from behind a building. He tensed even more, walking silently towards the corner.

Peering around to the others side, Riku searched the street. He saw a figure walking down the narrow, abandoned road, casually. He hadn't noticed him. Yet.

He frowned to himself. Why was he so worried? This was just another person living in the Hallow Bastion. So why was he freaking out? He was completely normal. Long, pale yellow hair draped down past his shoulders, hanging before his face. He wore loose jeans and an unzipped jacket, revealing his slender and strong build. Sure, he seemed a little headstrong, wearing clothes like that. Only Riku could pull that off, it was _his_ look. _But, hey, it's his choice I guess,_ he thought.

Riku was just about to relax and step way from the wall when the figure turned, leaning against one of the buildings. From behind silvery gold hair shone bright green eyes. They were clear, flashing from beyond the shards of hair. Even from this distance they were easily recognizable.

They were his eyes. Riku's eyes.

They weren't just close, they didn't just resemble him. They _were_ him. Those eyes were his.

"Hey," Riku said, stepping from around the corner. Trying to get the boy's attention.

They boy whirled, seeing Riku staring at him. A brief expression of panic shot through his face, clear even through the hair. And now as Riku saw him, he saw such a great resemblance it startled him.

"Hey," he said again. _Why do you look like me?_

Without a word the boy whirled, racing down the road. Riku didn't hesitate. With a shout he ran down the street after him, wondering what the hell was going on. Who was this kid? Why was he running? And why did he look so much like him?

Riku skidded around a corner, but the boy was nowhere in sight. He stopped short, scanning the road. But no one was there. Then he heard a ruffle of cloth above him and his gaze jerked upwards just in time to see a glimpse of the boy leap out of view onto a roof. Riku snorted. He'd need more than that to get rid of him.

Riku leapt up a stack of boxes, landing on the roof. He looked up and gave a start.

The boy had one hand outstretched, summoning a portal before him. Darkness rippled around it as it grew, swirling until it was a full portal. Riku stared. This boy… …was he…a Nobody…? A thought struck him but he cast it aside. _Is this…_my _Nobody?_ No…it couldn't be his Nobody. He didn't even have a Heartless… …right?

The boy ran into the darkness and the portal started to fade. Riku started again. Was he going to follow?

Of course he would.

But he had just stepped into the darkness when he heard a shout from behind him.

"Riku! Wait!"

Riku turned to see Sora and Namine running towards him.

"Riku, what are you doing!"

"Sora!" Riku shouted, staring to step out of the darkness. But the portal was already disappearing, and if he tried to escape he would be caught between the worlds. Caught between light and darkness. And who knew what could happen then?

Riku clenched his teeth. Through the dimming portal he saw Sora's face start to fade.

"I'll be back, Sora," he shouted as the portal completely disappeared. "Don't worry." Don't worry. I haven't accepted darkness anymore. I'm not going to leave….

"Riku!" Sora shouted again. But his voice was lost, ringing in darkness.

Sora ran forwards, but the portal had already disappeared. "…Riku…."

Namine walked up behind him, silent.

"…Where did he go…?"

"I don't know," Namine answered after a moment. "But…that portal…." She trailed off.

Sora looked at her. "What? What about it?"

"It…was a Nobody's portal. But the only Nobody's that could do that are me and Roxas…and we're both here."

Sora stared at where the portal had been. "…A Nobody…? Like the ones from the Organization?"

"Yes…."

But why had Riku followed him? That look in his eyes had not seemed like he was turning back to darkness…. He had definitely changed. He wouldn't go back. Sora knew he wouldn't. But…why had he walked recklessly into the portal?

Even after he saw Sora trying to call him back?

Did he really want adventure that much?

Sora was silent for a moment. Maybe Riku really had changed…. He wouldn't be satisfied with a normal life anymore, not after all those years traveling worlds, fighting darkness, meeting different people. Riku had never been tame…. Even when they were young he had wanted to be everywhere at once. See new worlds. But Sora had thought that after their adventures he would finally be satisfied. Finally want everything to be normal again.

Finally want everything to be what it used to be like.

Sora sighed. He didn't know where to go now. That portal could have gone anywhere. And what if Riku didn't want to be followed?

Sora frowned. That didn't matter. He was tired of this. He was tired of searching for his friends on other worlds. He was going to find Riku, take him back home, and if he had to chain him to Destiny Islands so he'd stay there. He laughed. Riku would probably fight him all the way.

But friends have to look out for friends. And now he had to make sure Riku was alright.

"Namine," he said, turning towards her. "I'll agree to helping you two find Axel…if you help me find Riku."

Namine smiled. "Deal," she said.

And in his mind, Sora could hear Roxas agree as well.

_Friends look out for friends._


	4. Inner Self

Riku stumbled from the darkness, struggling to regain his balance. He looked up, feeling a cold darkness. Seeping through his clothes, his skin. But he ignored the chill, looking for the boy he had followed.

_My Nobody._

Riku shook his head, fighting off the thought. Was it really his Nobody…? It looked so much like him…. He had to find out.

Leaping forwards he tore down the long, narrow path. The darkness was so thick that it made it hard to see, so he had to stare hard at the path to keep from walking off. Over the side of the path was nothing but air, and that lead down into darkness. Who knew how long it went for. The thought made him focus even more onto the path he walked.

His footsteps were silent on the ground even though he wasn't trying to make them that way. It was as if the path were darkness itself, absorbing all sound, movement, light, and turning it into nothingness.

After a long while of running he stepped onto a large platform, still made of darkness. He looked up, eyes searching around him. The dark shadows had lifted, but only slightly. He could see a little into the fog, but there was nothing in front of him. The black ground stretched out before him, disappearing into the shadows.

"Geez…" Riku murmured. "Optimistic place…."

He walked forwards, still searching before him for the boy. He couldn't have just disappeared. Even though it was easy to disappear into this darkness…next thing you know you could be taking a step and vanish into-

As soon as the thought entered his mind he cursed himself. As his foot touched the ground before him, in the middle of his thought, he felt the floor disappear beneath his shoe. He swore and struggled to step back, but too late.

Riku fell forwards, toppling through the darkness. The black enveloped him, eating away at him until it completely took over his vision. And as hard as he struggled there was nothing to catch his fall…there wasn't even ground beneath him. Just endless black, endless darkness that consumes you until you are nothing but a falling corpse.

---

Roxas opened his eyes. Looking around him, he saw Namine looking at him with slight concern on her face.

"Roxas…you're back."

Roxas pulled himself to his feet. He was on a rooftop…. How had he gotten here? He remembered fighting against Sora to escape, but it was too hard while he was still awake. But then he had ended up here…had he managed to overcome Sora?

"Sora said he needed your help," Namine said, as if reading Roxas' mind. "Riku…he disappeared into darkness. We don't know where he went…."

"Riku?"

Namine looked away. Roxas sighed.

"You brought him with us?"

"I couldn't leave him there, he just wanted to come with his friends!"

Roxas shrugged, turning his head away. "…I know. But he'll try to stop me."

"…That's why Sora let you take over again."

Roxas looked up at her.

"He needs your help to find Riku. He'll talk to him. And once you do…he promises he'll help you find Axel."

Roxas blinked. "Really?"

Namine smiled and nodded.

_Thanks, Sora_, Roxas thought, hoping the boy could hear him.

"Now where do we go?" Roxas asked, turning his attention back to Namine.

Namine shrugged. "That's why Sora needed your help. He has no idea where Riku went…."

Roxas laughed to himself. "Leaving me with the hard part, huh?" He shrugged again. "Well…how did he get a portal? That's the first thing we need to know."

Namine looked at the ground, thoughtful. "We don't know…we didn't see anyone with him, but by then anyone could have disappeared into the darkness. It looked like a Nobody's portal, thought. Like one someone from the Organization could make."

Roxas blinked. "What? But all of them are dead, right?"

Namine shook her head. "That's what I thought, too. But nobody else could make a portal like this…not that I know of, anyways."

Roxas groaned. "Why did Riku have to do that? Why did he just run into the portal like that?"

The two were silent for a moment while Roxas mumbled to himself, thinking and complaining at the same time. Finally he straightened, not looking at Namine.

"There is one place…that I think would help us."

Namine waited, silent. Roxas waited a moment before speaking.

"Before I was brought into the Organization…there was somewhere I used to live. And if this Nobody is not from Organization XIII, then he might be there, too…." He grimaced. "But…it's not a very welcome place."

---

He was still falling…there was no wind hissing past, no vision to tell him how fast he was moving, barely even the feeling of gravity pulling him down. But he still felt it. He was falling…and he was never going to stop.

Riku didn't know how long he had been here. It could have been days, minutes, hours, weeks, it didn't matter. Time had disappeared, along with the last of the light before him. All there was was dark….

He felt a nudge. A hand grip his collar. Riku didn't even acknowledge the person's touch. He was half a corpse, almost an empty shell that was drained of spirit, heart, life. He barely realized someone was there. He barely cared. All hope had disappeared, all happiness had left. He was almost dead anyways…how long would he last?

But the grip didn't falter. With strong determination the hand pulled him upwards, out of the darkness that consumed him. Riku's gaze flickered upwards and he saw a flash of silvery gold. It was him…. That boy…. That Nobody….

Riku felt solid ground against his back. Already…? How far had he fallen? And how could the boy reach him? He had fallen so far….

Weak, barely managing to hold onto his desperate grasp to consciousness, Riku focused on breathing as he felt the boy pull him farther from the edge and to safety. Questions rang through his mind, but were faint. It was hard to think, much less question what was going on around him. _Don't question it…just accept it… …just focus on staying awake._

He felt a hand shaking his shoulder. Gingerly. Hesitantly.

"… …Hey…are you okay?"

His voice. Almost exactly like his voice. It made Riku's stomach flip.

"I'm here…still conscious," Riku tried to say, but it was muddled and was hard to make out. The boy laughed. Quiet, amazed.

"You must be pretty durable to survive that…" he muttered.

"How…how did you…catch me?" Riku murmured, struggling to open his eyes. "I had fallen so far…."

"Not as far as you thought," the boy said. "It's complicated to explain…but you barely moved at all. What was effected the most was your heart…the darkness was trying to consume it…your heart was falling farther than you can imagine."

The words made Riku think. He spoke almost before he realized what he was saying, his brain was moving too slow and was having troubles keeping up.

"So…that's why you aren't effected by the darkness," Riku said.

The boy started. "Wh…What do you…" he started. A weak protest.

Riku turned his head up so he could see the boy's face. Amazement, shock, dismay, countless emotions were on it. He gave a weak grin.

"So…you really are one of them. I had just been bluffing…but I had guessed it all along."

"I still don't know what…."

"Don't…I've seen enough Nobodies to recognize one. You aren't affected by the darkness because it can't consume your heart…you don't have one."

The boy stared at Riku hard. For a moment he thought he would hit him. Push him back over the edge. But he didn't.

"But I still don't now why you saved me," Riku murmured, studying the boy's face.

The boy had a sour look on his face. "Just because I'm a Nobody doesn't mean I want you to die," he said bitterly. Then he looked away, face hidden by his long hair. "And… …besides," he murmured. "I wouldn't want my real self to fade away… …."

Riku's heart leapt into his throat. So he had been right…. This boy was _his_ Nobody. But…when had he gotten a Nobody?

He looked at Riku, seeing the look on his face. There was something in his eyes…it made Riku study them for a moment. But only a moment, no longer. The shock was almost overwhelming. _He is my Nobody…._

He watched Riku for another moment before a faint grin twitched on his face. "… …You didn't know," he murmured, "that you had been divided."

Riku struggled up to his elbows. It took some effort. He stared hard at his feet to give him something to do. "It…must have been when I was lost in the darkness. When I had opened my heart up to the darkness. But then…wouldn't I have a Heartless, too?"

The Nobody sighed, sitting back and leaning on his hands that were behind him. He stared up into the abyss above them. "Again…it's complicated. But _you_ were the Heartless. When the darkness consumed you, you became your Heartless and trapped your real self inside. But me…I was cast away to this place," he said, still looking bitterly to the sky. "I can escape sometimes, but this is where I belong, I guess…. In the darkness…."

"But why didn't you join the Organization?"

He shrugged calmly. Uncaring. "I didn't like the idea of working in that group. Not all Nobodies that long for hearts are part of the Organization, you know."

The thought hadn't occurred to him before, but after Riku thought about it he knew it bust be true. But then how many others were there? How many other Nobodies were there out there, roaming the countless worlds, longing for hearts?

And now did he know this Nobody could be trusted?

He eyed the boy for a moment. That same unreadable was still on his face, the boy's eyes still fixed upon him from behind the fine hair. It made him wonder. It made him uneasy. The boy must have read his gaze. He sighed again.

"I told you already. Just because I'm a Nobody, that doesn't mean I'm going to kill you. I'm not like those mindless Dusks. Besides, if I had wanted you dead I would have just left you in the darkness, your heart waiting to be consumed, right?"

Riku shrugged, turning back to his feet. Of what he had learned about Nobodies, they have their own way of doing things. A unique way you couldn't understand. They even have their own ways of killing you, especially to their benefit.

The boy looked at hard for a moment, studying his face. Thinking. Then finally he spoke. "…I could help you find your friends."

Riku started, looking up at him. "How…how did you…?"

"I saw you telling them you'd be back before you walked into my portal," he said, an amused look on his face as he saw Riku's expression. "Besides," he added, "I should know them. I'm you, remember?"

Riku studied his face for a moment before asking, "…What's your name? Who are you?"

"Yuri," he said as he pulled Riku to his feet. "Are you fit to walk?"

Riku faltered for a moment, but caught himself. "I'm fine," he said calmly, as if nothing had been wrong with him in the first place. Then he glanced at Yuri. "Why the hell did you chose 'Yuri' as a name?"

Yuri ignored him. "Am I coming with you or not?"

Riku didn't answer, just stared at Yuri for a moment. "…What are you helping me for? What's in it for you?"

The Nobody shrugged. "I just want something to do. Do you know how long I've been waiting in this hole for something to happen?"

Riku didn't move. He just stared. Yuri sighed.

"I was…hoping you'd help me get a heart."

"I knew it."

"I don't know how," he continued, ignoring Riku again, "but anything is better than just sitting here. Even if you can't find a way…at least I tried. Right?"

Riku looked at him hard for another moment. Then he finally relaxed. He was truthful at least. He wanted to find a heart, and had asked for help. He wasn't hiding anything. Maybe.

"So where do we go?" Yuri asked, still looking at him.

Riku glanced at him from underneath his bangs. "Hey, _you_ said you'd help _me._ I have no clue where to go…they probably left Hallow Bastion already, and who knows to where."

"Well then if there's anywhere you can think of tell me," Yuri said, stretching his arms. "Anywhere they would head off to?"

Riku still watched him. It was odd that he had helped him so suddenly…. But he had said that he didn't want to kill him or harm him. He had said that not all Nobodies are like that. But could Riku trust him?

There wasn't any way to tell. Not yet. He just wouldn't let down his guard until he was sure. He had been in darkness long enough to know that it twisted people, made them reckless. Selfish. Desperate. And Yuri had been in darkness for as long as he had. Probably longer.

He sighed. "He does have his Nobody friends with him…. They might head for the Organization's fortress."

Yuri shrugged. "As good a place to start as any."

Holding out a hand, the Nobody created a portal before him. "C'mon," he said, stepping forwards.

Riku hesitated. Getting help from this Nobody…. Was this a good idea? Would he be turned back towards the darkness? But no, not all Nobodies were evil. Roxas…Riku wasn't sure about Roxas yet, but Namine had tried to help him. There were Nobodies out there who were good. Maybe if he gave Yuri a chance….

Without a second thought, not allowing himself to turn back, Riku stepped forwards into the portal. Once he found Sora, he would figure everything out.


	5. Bitter Memories

_I look at myself in the mirror. Grin. Flash my teeth. It was another day, another day just like all the others. But I'm not like the others. I had a plan. Even if it was hidden, it was still there. It might seem askew, always twisting and turning depending on where the wind took it, but it was supposed to change like that. And every day brought it closer and closer to being complete. _

_---_

A day like any other_, I think bitterly as I cut through the pasty white bodies that lunge for me, their zipper-like teeth driving for my flesh. _This day isn't normal at all…it seems my irregular plan has finally turned on me. Who knows what this'll end like.

_Sora slashes at the Nobodies, fighting beside me. I shoot fire from my hands, springing it up from the ground. Engulfing my enemies in flame. Their bodies crumple and tear by the intense heat, falling in ashes at my feet. But they don't stop coming. They won't stop. I grimace. _

_Behind me I hear Sora yell a warning. There are too many. We cannot defeat them all._

_I frown, the black under my eyes seeming to darken. I'm not through yet. Roxas…this is when he needs my help. And this is when I will finally give it to him. Maybe then…maybe then he would remember. _

_I spring into the middle of the white bodies, all of them turning towards me. They advance, sensing hesitation._

_But I'm not hesitating. I'm just waiting. Waiting for them to advance. _

_I won't hesitate. I won't pull back. Not now. It's too late._

_Widening my stance, bent over with my face staring hard at the ground, I extend my arms on either side. They brace, fingers curled. Trembling with force. _

_Then white flashes appear before my hands, just before my palms. My weapons. Spiked rings, jagged, sharp. Deadly. Stained with the blood of countless people. And now they are stained with mine._

_I yell, my roar strengthening in my throat. The power I am forcing into my last moments…all the strength I can muster. All the strength in my entire life. It is now swirling around my body, curling through my veins. Blinding before my eyes. Settling where my heart should be._

_My yell intensifies. As if I was in pain. But I'm not. This is the most meaningful moment in my life. Finally when I can do something worthwhile. _

_Then I turn my face towards the sky with violent fierceness, my roar terrifying. All of my energy, my strength, life, races through my veins and through my palms. Into the ground. Creating the fire that bursts up around me, enveloping everyone in flame. _

_The flames curl around me, but I don't feel pain. I do not feel its heat. I feel emptiness. Cold. I feel the expression in my eyes. The drained, corpse-like stare. I feel the last breath leave my lips, a quiet whisper. I'm dying…._

_I had known this would come. I had _wanted_ it to come. I had made it come. Yet…I cannot fight down the remorse that builds up inside of me. I give a bitter laugh. _Roxas…I hope that's enough proof…that we used to be friends. I hope you can see me now… …I hope you can remember me.

_In my gloved hand a small chain is desperately clutched, spiked and dangerous like my two weapons. It had been for him, if I had ever found him. If he had ever remembered me. For his keyblade…if he promised he wouldn't forget…. _But I guess now…it's too late……huh? _I think bitterly to myself. But it's not like I had a choice. If I hadn't given my life to save them, he wouldn't have been there to remember me. _

_But is there a point now? Now that I wasn't there to remember, did he need to remember me? After all… …I'm just a nobody. Nobodies shouldn't be remembered. They're never remembered. Nobodies just die away in the burning flames, lost forever from memories. Abandoned forever from hearts._

_---_

Roxas stared at his hands, gasping. He was on his knees, Namine kneeling next to him. A hand on his back. A worried look on her face.

"Roxas! What happened?"

Roxas remembered falling to his knees, barely managing to catch himself with his hands before he fell onto his face. The memory had hit him so hard… …it hadn't even been _his_ memory. But he knew who's…. How he had gotten it he didn't know. But as soon as they had stepped into the darkness, this forsaken world, it had struck him down. _But……why am I remembering _Axel_'s past?_

"Roxas?"

Roxas looked up, a weak smile on his face. To reassure her. He pulled himself to his feet.

"I'm fine. This place must have just effected me for a moment…all those memories."

Namine looked around them. "This…is where you lived? Before you joined the Organization, you lived _here_?"

Roxas nodded. "Yes… …but sometimes it was the perfect place to be. It's easy to lose yourself in the dark."

---

Riku stepped from the darkness and onto pure white floors. He looked around, a chill already crawling into his skin. He fought back a shiver. A shudder.

"This place," he murmured. "No matter how long I live…I'm sure I'll never be able to forget it."

Yuri looked around. "So…this is the place that those Nobodies lived in?" He raised an eyebrow as he saw the large thrones that towered above them. "A little full of themselves, aren't they?"

Riku walked to the doorway slowly, looking all around him for any signs of Sora, Kairi, Namine or Roxas. But all there was was white. It made his head hurt. The glare caught him in the eyes, making him grimace.

After a moment Yuri followed him. They walked through the abandoned fortress, searching for any signs of life. But there was nothing. They walked up the endless stairs, searching floor after floor. But nothing.

Finally the two came to a large door. They glanced at each other, then opened it. The room inside was also pure white, extravagantly decorated.

"Dammit, aren't the bad guys supposed to have black?" Yuri complained, shielding his eyes. "I'm getting a headache!"

"I guess I'll have to tell Cloud that white is the new _new_ badass color," Riku murmured.

"What?"

Riku just laughed, not answering. "Is there anything important in this room?"

Yuri walked forwards, examining the books on the shelves. "Geez…this must have been some geezer's study. All these books are prehistoric…. And what's with these titles?"

"It must have been Xemnas'," Riku said. He wandered to the desk, looking at the book that was open on the table. He glanced at it.

"The essence of the heart…," he read, murmuring it to himself. "Heats are born from darkness, and turn either to light or remain in oblivion. But when a heart is stolen and a Heartless is born, a Nobody is born as well. The two wander the planets, longing to be whole…. The pain drives them insane, and in desperation they steal the hearts of those around them, making them in just as much pain as they feel. Some even try to reverse the process, hoping to lock themselves into their old bodies."

Riku blinked. Reverse what had happened? Was that possible?

"Riku!"

Hearing Yuri's warning Riku jerked upright, but couldn't respond before an arm grabbed him by the throat.

---

"Watch your step," Roxas said. "The darkness can't hurt us, but Sora and Kairi could be affected. It tries to eat your heart…."

"Kairi…," Namine murmured. "I hope she's okay…. She hasn't even stirred yet."

"She isn't used to this," Roxas said. "She isn't as strong as Sora. But I'm sure she's fine."

Namine nodded. She watched the path under her feet, not wanting to lose her footing. "How big is this place?"

"Huge. It could take a while to search everywhere."

Namine nodded again, but this time not as sure. She didn't like it here…. The darkness seemed to eat away at all happiness. Chase away your smiles….

Roxas felt her uneasiness, but didn't say anything. He was used to this darkness, but he still didn't like it. He wanted to leave almost as much as Namine did.

A few hours passed, yet still Roxas and Namine had not found anyone. They sat for a moment, trying to catch their breath. They sat back to back on the narrow path, trying to ignore the darkness that teased at their skin.

"Roxas…," Namine murmured. Roxas looked over his shoulder at her, waiting. Namine took a moment to continue. "…You never finished telling me how you are going to bring Axel back."

Roxas was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. "Look over here."

Namine turned to see him holding out his hand, a small chain in his palm. It was bright red, decorated with spikes and rings that shone like burning flames.

"It…It looks like…," she murmured. Roxas nodded.

"It looks like his chakrams…Axel's weapons. He made it for me, hoping that with it I could remember…."

"But what does this have to do with bringing back Axel?"

Roxas stared at the keychain, face hidden behind his shaggy bangs. Namine couldn't see his expression, couldn't hear any emotion in his voice to tell her what he was thinking.

"He put his heart and soul into making this…so maybe…he is still there," Roxas murmured. He looked up at her. "Sora…. He had been divided. Do you remember?"

Namine nodded.

"And once his Heartless had been turned back to the light…he came back. Back to what he always had been. So maybe if we can find Axel's Heartless and turn it back towards the light…."

"But Roxas," Namine murmured. "Then it would only be the real Axel. Not the Axel that you knew."

Roxas looked back down at the keychain. "I know it's farfetched, and it probably won't work…. But…if Axel's soul is still inside this chain…if his memories are locked inside…."

Realization hit her. "You could seal the chain into the real Axel to bring the Nobody Axel back," Namine finished with a gasp. Roxas nodded, looking up at her with a grin.

"And then he'd be whole too…then he'd finally have a heart," he said. Happiness. Excitement. The glint in his eyes made Namine smile. She hadn't seen him this happy for a long time…. The last time had been when she had watching him in Traverse Town, when he had been with his friends. Her smile widened. Maybe…. Maybe there was a chance that Roxas could finally feel whole again. Not being rewarded with a heart, but with a friend.

---

Kairi opened her eyes, but there was no difference from the world around her and her eyelids. Where was she…? Was it still night? Why wasn't there even moonlight?

"Kairi!"

She sat up, looking next to her. There was Sora, smiling at him. But he was eaten away at by darkness. The black made everything hard to see.

"Sora…" she murmured. "Where are we?"

Sora looked up at the sky above him. "I don't know…not exactly. But…we aren't in Destiny Islands anymore."

"…What's going on?" Kairi asked. Her voice sounded small in the endless dark. It was the only sound that reached her ears. Not even a breeze, a footstep, a whisper.

"Roxas and Namine…they took us off Destiny Islands."

"…What?"

It took a few minutes of explaining to finally tell Kairi of what had happened so far. After Sora finished he waited in silence, waiting for Kairi's response. She was still for a long moment, not speaking, not looking at him. Her face was hidden by her red hair, hiding her expression.

Finally, after a few moments, she looked up at him. There was a forced smile on her face, it looked almost genuine. But you could tell by looking in her eyes it was fake.

"Well then… …we had better help Roxas and Riku if we're going to get back home, right?" she said in an almost too energetic voice.

"Kairi…" Sora murmured. It was awful seeing her like this. "If you want to go back…we can take you back home." He didn't want to force her to stay with them. She wanted to be back home.

But Kairi shook her head gently. "… …No…that's definitely not what I want…," she murmured. "I've waited for you back home for so long…I don't want to lose you again. Even if it means traveling from world to world like before…I'll stay if you two are here, too."

((Ug! Corny! Someone shoot her! cocks gun))

Sora studied her eyes for a moment. Then he smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll always be here."

Kairi returned his smile.

"Now come on, it's our turn so search for Riku."

---

Riku struggled, feeling Yuri fighting the ropes binding him as well behind him. Their captor was ignoring them, searching the room and its books. No matter how much the two yelled or swore at him, he didn't even turn. Didn't even acknowledge their presences. He had bound them and thrown them into a corner of the room, could he at least tell them why?

Their captor had sharp brown hair that fell past his strong, narrow shoulders, the sides growing shorter and shorter until only the tip reached the small of his back. It gave him a rebellious look, cold and unwelcoming. His arms and torso were long and slender, His legs almost longer than the rest of his body. His skin was hidden behind the loose folds of his dark clothes, hiding his exact form. Riku had only caught a glimpse of his face, his sharp features and piercing eyes.

He turned to Yuri, looking over his shoulder. He met his eyes, but they said the same thing his did. He had no idea what was going on. He didn't know this man, he had never met him before. But he seemed to be enemies with them, or was at least hostile enough to capture them.

Riku faced the man again, who's back was turned to them. "Hey!" he shouted. "What the hell are you doing? What did we do wrong?"

No answer. The man didn't even twitch in acknowledgement. Riku groaned in frustration.

"What the hell is your problem!" Yuri shouted, kicking. His eyes flared with agitation. Then he gave out an exasperated cry, still not receiving an answer, and resorted to thudding his head against the wall beside him.

There was silence for a long moment as Riku and Yuri waited, their agitation growing, barely able to contain it. Riku glanced back at Yuri.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" he hissed. "You're a Nobody!"

Yuri glared back and was about to respond, when he froze. He glanced at their captor, and Riku followed his gaze. He had felt it, too.

The man was tense. He was still silent, but the silence was harsh, as it if would crush them. What had they said? Well, at least now they might finally figure out what was going on.

The man turned towards the two boys. "…You're his Nobody?" he asked in a voice just a few notches above a whisper. Yuri stared at the man hard, not sure how to answer. Not sure if he should answer.

Their captor snorted, turning back to his books. "Of course… …this is their stronghold, right?"

"I'm not with that Organization," Yuri retorted sharply. "Don't group me together with them."

The man gave a short laugh. "Yeah…you're all the same. Whether you're in a group or freelance, it doesn't matter. You're all just the same."

Yuri glared. "What do you know?"

"Enough."

Riku finally cut in. If this continued, Yuri could end up getting hurt. "What's going on? What did we do to you to make you tie us up?" he snapped. The ropes were making his arms raw and red, making him even more irritable than he would have been otherwise.

"…You exist."

"What kind of screwed up answer is that?"

The man paused, then turned back towards them. There was a sharp cold in his eyes. "That answer is much more than you think it is. It's what I've been living by for years. It's what I've based my entire existence around for as long as I can remember."

Riku snorted. "Someone needs to find a girlfriend…," he muttered.

The man ignored him. "It's because of _your_ kind," he said, gesturing towards Yuri as if he was some deadly disease, "that I am forced to exist. It's because of you that I have to suffer like this. And I'm here to put a stop to it."

There was a long silence as the man turned back to his books. Riku studied him hard. What did he mean by all of that? It was because of Nobodies that he existed…?

"… …Who are you?" he finally murmured, unable to fight back the curiosity any longer.

There was a moment of silence, and at first Riku thought he wouldn't answer. But finally his cold voice cut through the silence.

"…Rei. Got it memorized?"


	6. Secrets Locked in Oblivion

"He isn't here," Namine murmured, falling to her knees in exhaustion. They had been searching the darkness for so long, it was impossible to tell exactly how long in the empty darkness. But they had gone through several shifts between real and Nobody, yet there was no sign of their friend.

Roxas sighed, scratching his head. "…We've searched everywhere," he murmured. "There's nowhere for him to hide, so we can't have missed him. He must not be here…."

"Then where do we go now?" Namine asked.

It was Roxas' turn to fall to the ground, this time in irritation. "I don't know," he groaned. Having to search the entire universe for one person…. It was insane…. Impossible. "We don't have any clues, any hints."

"But we have to find him," Namine protested. "We can't just leave him."

"You're the one who brought him here in the first place," Roxas muttered.

"But we couldn't just leave him!" Namine and Roxas said at the same time. Roxas shot Namine a knowing glance. Namine blushed.

"But we couldn't," she argued. "Who knows what he could have done if we had left him."

"He would have been right there waiting for us," Roxas replied without hesitation. "He couldn't have gone anywhere, there's no way off those islands."

"…I meant when we got back," Namine finished. "He would have hated us. He would have never been able to trust us again."

Roxas glanced at Namine before looking away again. "Does that matter?" he murmured. "It's not like it matters. We're nobody important. Nobodies."

"…Why do you do that to yourself?"

Roxas glanced back at Namine.

"Why do you beat yourself up like that? Put yourself down like that…?"

Roxas looked away again. Namine continued to watch him. Was that…guilt in his eyes? From what? Was he guilty about…being whole? It didn't make sense.

Without a word Roxas stood. Namine started. Had he offended him?

"I'm going to call out Sora," Roxas said, tone unreadable. "We'll ask him what to do."

Namine pressed her lips together nervously, but nodded.

---

Yuri nudged Riku, motioning towards Rei. The man was asleep, a book over his face. He had been studying since then for who knows what. Perhaps even he didn't know. But now he was asleep, so it was their chance to move.

"What do we do to get out of here?"

Riku shot Yuri a sharp glance. "You're a Nobody," he pointed out dryly. "Just make one of those portals you're famous for."

Yuri shifted uncomfortably. Riku groaned. Bad news.

"I'm not part of the Organization, so I have limited power…I'm just barely more than a Dusk. Using that portal to get us here was almost more power than I could use."

"So you're a defective Nobody."

Yuri glared. "What did you call me?"

Riku shrugged off his sharp gaze. "Never mind. But I do have an idea, now that Rei is asleep."

Riku focused on his hands behind his back, slowly feeling the Way to the Dawn's hilt materializing inside his fist.

"After I cut you lose you help me, then we'll try to find a way out of this bleached castle."

"…Yeah…just watch it. You've already almost cut me with that thing."

"Shut up. Let's see you do this without being able to look at what you're doing."

"Ow! Dammit, Riku, give me that! I'll do it myself!"

After a moment of hissing curses and struggles the two were free, even though their hands were cut and stinging. Yuri glared at Riku, sucking the blood that was dripping from his finger.

"What now? Any more ideas? If they include any more weaponry I'm out of here."

"Shut up," Riku muttered, walking to the door with silent footsteps. Every time his shoes touched the floor he struggled to keep it from echoing through the walls, but it was impossible to make the sound completely disappear. He winced with every step, casting quick glances at the still sleeping Rei. Fortunately the heavy studying had either worn their captive out or bored him so much he was beyond waking up, so he never woke to their footsteps.

The two didn't speak until they made it down the hallway and through another large white door. Closing it behind him Riku leaned against its smooth cold frame with a sigh.

"So…we're safe for the moment. But we won't be completely safe until we get out of here," Yuri said, looking around the vast room. "Geez, do all of these rooms need to look the same?"

"There's a door around here somewhere," Riku said, starting across the room. "That should eventually lead to Twilight Town, and from there we should be okay for a while. I don't think he's mad enough to follow us that far."

"Unless there's something he wants to hide…," Yuri murmured. "Or something he wants to use us for…."

Riku glanced over his shoulder at Yuri. "Cheer up. Now come on, we should get out of here."

"So, what…we just wander until we find something?"

Riku shrugged, opening another door. "Unless you have any better ideas. So come on, shut it and help me open this."

---

Sora opened his eyes, seeing Namine's gaze staring into his own. Namine gave him her melancholy smile. "Sora…you're here."

"Yeah," Sora murmured. "Is Roxas tired already? Or did you find Riku?" His voice lifted and he looked around expectantly. Namine looked down.

"No…I'm sorry. We've searched everywhere, but there's nowhere left to look. Riku isn't here."

Sora sighed. "Well…thanks for trying. Is that why Roxas called me out?"

"Yes. Do you know anywhere else he would go?"

A thought struck Sora instantly. _With the darkness. _Sora blinked, beating himself mentally. No…Riku wouldn't do that again. Why would he? He said he would come back…. Sora looked up into Namine's face.

"No. I can't think of anywhere else."

Namine sighed, looking back down at the ground. "Then I suppose we're going to have to wander until we find any clues. Where do you want to start?"

Sora thought for a moment. "Hallow Bastion," he finally said. "We can ask the Restoration Committee if they've seen him."

Namine nodded, holding out her hand and creating another portal. Then they stepped from the dark world into the dark portal, feeling its cold touch against their skin.

"Back already?" Yuffie asked, seeing Sora step into the room beside them. "Did you find Riku?"

Sora sighed. "No…so he's not here?"

Aerith shook her head. "No. We haven't seen him either. Didn't you look around Hallow Bastion?"

"Yes, but he stepped into a portal before we could stop him."

"What?"

Sora nodded. "We don't know who it was though…. Have you seen anybody that looks like the Organization around here? I thought we beat them all."

Leon shook his head. "No, the only things around here are Dusks and Shadows. Nothing that's much of a threat. Are you sure it was a portal?"

Namine nodded. "Yes, I'm sure of it. It was definitely a portal made by a powerful Nobody. No normal one would have enough power."

"_Yes_!" Yuffie cheered, punching the air. "Looks like we've got another adventure unfolding already!"

Leon put a hand on her shoulder to settle her, then turned back to Sora. "It seems you never got much of a break, did you?"

Sora shrugged. "Yeah…but we'll just have to finish this twice as fast to make up for lost time, right?" He forced out a grin.

Aerith smiled back. "Yes, I'm sure we'll have this all settled down soon. And we're here to help you. Right, Leon? Cloud?"

Leon nodded, Cloud barely even gave a grunt. But suddenly Cid shouted over at him.

"Hey, Cloud, what's that on the screen?"

Cloud didn't even look up at what Cid was motioning towards. "…It's a new world. It just showed up a few minutes ago. I'm trying to find out any information on it, but haven't found anything yet."

"A new world?" Sora murmured. Cloud's fists clenched, pale white.

"I don't see why I need to repeat it," he said, still not looking up. "Now just wait a minute while I figure out what's going on."

"Why did it just appear?" Aerith wondered. "Why now?"

"Maybe… …," Leon murmured, glancing over at Sora. "…Riku?"

Sora felt his heart lift with hope. Maybe…. Maybe this wouldn't take as long as he had thought. But why would it suddenly appear, even if Riku had something to do with it?

"Namine," he said. "Do you think you can take us there?"

Namine glanced at the screen. "Yes… …yes, I think so," she said. Holding out her hand she created another portal of darkness, and once again the two stepped through.

"Good luck!" Yuffie cried after them.

---

Riku growled. "How many damn doors does a fortress need?" he grumbled. "And I'm tired of all this white."

"Stop complaining and keep walking."

"Yeah, yeah…," Riku muttered, following Yuri down another corridor. They had been walking for so long, and the white was starting to make their eyes hurt. The glare from the lights was making it hard to see.

"You've been here before, don't you know the way out?"

Riku shook his head. "I haven't been over here before. This is the Organization member's chambers. We were in the center of the fortress."

Their chambers. Some of the rooms had been so cold it had made chills run down their spines. Even the rooms of the members that had been dead for almost a year, their rooms looked exactly like someone was still living there. Almost untouched from the last time it had been used by the person who had owned it. The air they had breathed was still locked in that room….

The thought made Riku shiver again. Going into those rooms, knowing how it's owner had died…knowing that they would never return to that bed that still waited for them…it made him feel cold inside. Almost sympathy. Some of their rooms had been so pitiful and depressing.

Demyx's had been full of music and instruments, guitars and CD's and posters of bands. Nothing that implied that he was anything but normal. It was as if he was almost human, a teenager. Yet he was a Nobody, someone destined to live in darkness.

Zexion's room was dark and clouded with shadows, making it hard to see, almost hard to breath. They had followed the walls, reading the papers that were plastered all over them. After reading a few, they saw they were all plans. Strategies. Some where battle tactics, others were ways to manipulate others and control using weaknesses.

But as they got closer and closer to the back of the room, where the newer papers were hung, the messages began to change. They where all failed plans on how to become whole again. Alternative plans on how to find their hearts. But before they could fill the walls they were cut short. After all those years of planning…he had never been able to find the right one in time.

Axel's…. That one had been the most curious. As soon as they had stepped into it they had felt cold. The Flurry of Dancing Flames. Shouldn't he like heat? But as they had looked through the room they had seen writing. He had written them on anything he could find.

"_How do you explain the survival of those who weren't supposed to survive?" "Crimson tears, stained hands." "The pleasure of a dream was that it was a fantasy. If it happens, it was never a dream." _

Most of it was almost poetic, cold and lost. As his soul had hardened and frozen with isolation, so had his fire, making him cold. But what surprised them the most was a picture found on the ground, it's corners burns and curled with ashes.

Roxas.

Riku had never known much about Axel, Sora had not told him. But what was this connection between Axel and Roxas? That picture…it was burnt. Was Axel mad at him? Jealous? But he hadn't burnt the face, only teased at the boy's features with his fire. He hadn't wanted to destroy him…. What had he wanted?

As they had left the room, another message burnt into the door had bid them farewell.

"_Lost forever from memories, Abandoned forever from hearts. Die away into the burning flames as nothing but a Nobody."_

"All those rooms…," Yuri murmured. "Didn't they…didn't they just make you want to pity them?"

Riku started, looking up. Was he as distressed as he was?

"Driven by their desires…," he continued, "they had to resort to the darkness. But in the end it consumed them."

Riku looked down again. That story…was familiar…. "Yes. It even seemed that some of them didn't want to turn to darkness in the first place. They just felt it was the only what to become whole again."

Yuri sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm not…going to be like that," he murmured. "I'm not going to let the darkness control me, just to stumble forward blindly, hoping I'm getting closer to my goal."

"…Because all it will do is consume you," Riku finished, "until there is nothing left but an empty memory."

"Yeah? And what do you know of the darkness?"

Riku started. The voice hadn't come from Yuri. The two boys froze, looking over their shoulders.

"Thought you'd take advantage of my hospitality while I was asleep, eh?" Rei asked. In his hands glinted two crescent blades, jagged and rough. His fingers curled through the hilts in the middle of the curve, shifting anxiously as he watched his two escaped captives.

"Those look painful," Yuri hissed at Riku.

Riku didn't answer. He took a step back towards the door, clenching his fists.

Rei laughed, taking a step forwards in response to Riku's retreat. "Not as bold as you were an hour ago, are you? Am I more intimidating when I'm not asleep?"

"Riku," Yuri hissed again. "We can't fight him. What are we going to do?"

There was silence for a long moment, broken by Rei's jeers. Riku did his best to tune them out, they were only making them nervous. If they continued to respond to their captor's taunts they would only panic and mess up. But what could they do against this guy, unarmed and lost in this fortress?

"Do you have enough power to get us out of here yet?"

Yuri shook his head.

"Of course not…."

Yuri whirled on him. "It's not my fault! I'm not power crazed and want to take everyone's heart for my own, so I don't have the benefits of being insane."

Riku charged forwards, crashing into the irked Nobody. Yuri started, but understood immediately as he heard the hiss of a blade cutting through the air. He felt the wind of it as it passed, but no pain. But if he had been there for a second longer….

Yuri crashed into the ground and the wind was knocked out of him. Riku hit the floor hard and tumbled a distance away. But before he could get up Rei charged him, giving him a harsh kick across the face. Riku yelled and his head snapped back from the blow. He lay still, chest heaving up and down as he fought unconsciousness.

"Look, kid," Rei said, putting one of his blades down towards Riku's neck. It's curve lined his neck as if it was meant for cutting throats. "I'm doing you a favor. I could kill you right now, but what would that do for me? I have nothing against you. All I want is your friend. Who knows, maybe after I'm through with him I'll let you go. But the more you fight me the slimmer your chances are getting."

Riku opened his eyes, his breath settling as he regained his senses. Rei saw his hand twitch, his eyes dart behind his captive.

"You aren't going to try to fight again, are you? You move, and this blade cuts your throat. I don't have to do anything, you'll kill yourself."

But what was he looking at? Suddenly a thought struck him that made him tense. There where two boys. He only had one of them in his sight.

Rei whirled, expecting to see the Nobody there about to knock him out. But he was still on his knees, struggling to regain his breath. Realization hit him hard. He had been tricked.

Riku's foot collided with Rei's back, knocking him backwards. His blade faltered, giving Riku the chance he needed to throw it aside and away from his throat. Then he sprang to his feet, stumbled, still effected by the blow to the face, and ran towards Yuri.

"Get up," Riku demanded, pulling the Nobody to his feet. He slung Yuri's arm around his shoulder and helped him towards the door. Behind him he heard Rei get to his feet with a vengeful shout.

"I can run," Yuri murmured, knowing that Riku couldn't carry him and move fast enough to escape at the same time. Riku glanced at him, but Yuri didn't wait. He pulled his arm off of Riku's shoulder, hiding his stagger. But he regained his footing and ran towards the door, Riku right behind him.

Crashing into the door, struggling to open it, they heard footsteps behind them as Rei went to retrieve his weapons. Calmly, knowing the two boys couldn't escape before he found them. He was getting closer.

"C'mon!" Riku shouted, forcing himself even harder against the door. "Open!"

The door opened a crack, then burst forwards, doors crashing against the walls. The two stumbled but charged forwards, running into the blinding white hallway.

"What now?" Yuri asked.

"We just have to keep choosing doors. Now come on, before Rei catches up with us," Riku said between breaths. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"You're the one who was hit in the face. I'll be fine," Yuri answered. But he was still struggling to completely inflate his lungs. "Come on, lets use this door."

The two whirled and ran towards the door. This one opened easier than the rest. But when they get inside it was not another hallway, but a small room. It glowed green, shining from pale green light coming from the floor.

"Shut the door," Riku said, still staring at the light. "Quietly."

Yuri obeyed, putting his ear to the door. He tensed. "He's out there," he hissed. "He's looking through the doors."

Riku tore his eyes away from the light and hurriedly looked around the room. But there was no other way out.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight him…at least long enough to get out of here."

Yuri nodded, stepping back away from the door.

"Careful," Riku said, grabbing Yuri by the collar to stop him. Yuri looked behind him, noticing the source of the green light for the first time.

"What's that?" he stammered, blinking.

"I don't know," Riku murmured, crouching and sitting back on his heels, staring into the light. It's source was almost like a liquid. He bit his lip and gently reached out a hand.

"Hey, careful," Yuri warned. "You don't know what that is."

Riku stretched out a finger, gently grazing the clear green surface. It rippled under his touch like a watery, soft gel. Its touch made the hairs on his neck stand, a chill racing up his spine.

Suddenly the world shook, a mighty earthquake. Riku staggered, waving his arms to keep his balance. He would have fallen forwards into the gel if Yuri hadn't grabbed him by the collar, holding him back.

"What was that about?" Yuri stammered.

"The earthquake…I lost my balance," Riku murmured, straightening, still staring down at the gel.

There was a long silence before Yuri spoke. "…Earthquake? There wasn't an earthquake, Riku."

Riku turned to look at him with disbelieving eyes. His eyes weren't lying. He really hadn't felt anything. "What? How couldn't you have felt that?"

"Riku, stop it. Rei's going to be here soon, we don't have to be fooling around."

"I'm not fooling around! How didn't you feel-?"

Suddenly the world shook again, this time mightier than the first. Riku took a sharp breath, stumbling, struggling to regain his balance. But he was falling. Yuri lunged forwards to grab him, but his fingers closed on air as Riku fell backwards, disappearing into the green light.

Yuri yelled. What had just happened? Where was Riku?

The footsteps came to their door, Rei hearing their voices. Yuri whirled, mind racing. He didn't stand a chance against Rei alone, but he had a bad feeling about whatever it was Riku had fallen through. But he Riku's help to find his heart….

Before he could change his mind, Yuri closed his eyes and took the fateful step from the floor into the green emptiness. Just before he lost consciousness he heard Rei swing open the door.


	7. Narnia

"…_Nobody would miss me."_

_As I watched him walk away, as I heard them say those words, I felt the sorrow build up inside of me. Sorrow…was that a false emotion? Could I actually feel this sorrow, or is it a lie? A lie like the friendship we had made. _

_Nobody would miss me. The words cut through me like a knife. The irony of those words…. It makes you want to laugh, it makes you want to bleed, it makes you want to burn those around you. Who would have known that his words could have been so true? Because it is a Nobody that misses him…. It is a Nobody that sees him walk away now and feels like he is bleeding inside, knowing that he would never remember him. _

_It is a Nobody who is wondering if the boy walking away will miss _him.

_As I see him walk away, as I see his back disappear into the dark endless night, I am finally able to murmur the words that I wish he could hear now._

"…_I would."

* * *

_

Consuming him…. Tormenting him…. He was falling. Again…he was falling. This feeling…this feeling surrounding him. It was like the darkness, cold against his skin and trying to take him over. But it was different. It wasn't trying to take over his heart. It was trying to take over his mind. He felt it eating at his consciousness, trying to worm its way into his head.

He clenched his teeth. No…he had to fight it out. He couldn't lose himself. Not again….

* * *

Sora stepped from the darkness onto soft grass. He blinked in the light, putting up a hand to shade his eyes. Voices murmured around them, but stopped short as they saw the two step from to portal.

Blinking, he lowered his hand and looked around to see who was watching them. When his eyes fell upon the people around them, he stopped short.

They weren't people.

Centaurs, leopards, fawns, and countless other beings, both mythical and animal, stared at them. Sora gaped at them, frozen. Namine nudged him slightly, and Sora regained his composure.

He coughed uncomfortably, looking around at their face. "Um…is there anyone in charge here?"

A centaur, a crimson helmet on his head, trotted up to them. "Who are you? What business do you have with Aslan?"

"Aslan? Is he your… …," Sora thought of what these people must be part of. Is Aslan their king? Their emperor? Their...animal trainer?

"Our lord," the centaur finished. "Now tell me. What business do you have with him?"

"We're looking for someone," Namine cut in. "A friend of ours. We want to know if he showed up here."

The centaur studied her for a moment. "Who are you two?"

"I'm Namine, and this is Sora."

"And what are you…. Beardless dwarves?"

Sora blinked. "What? Dwarves?"

"If you aren't dwarves than what are you?"

"We're human," Sora said, watching his face with eyes that said he was sure this centaur was insane.

The centaur froze. At first Sora had thought that he had said something wrong, but instead the centaur motioned for them to follow him, and he lead them towards a large tent.

"Sora, do you know where this is?"

Sora shook his head. "No…. And how didn't they know that we were human? They must have humans here, too…right?"

Namine shook her head. "I don't know…. But I'm going to call out Kairi. If Riku is here, she'll want to see him. Hold me up."

Kairi woke just as they stepped before the tent. Sora gave a hurried, hushed explanation as the centaur went inside to tell Aslan they were here. Kairi seemed surprised and a little frightened at the beings around them.

"Sora…," she whispered. "The horses are talking."

Sora nodded. "And so are the leopards…and dogs…."

"This is so strange…."

Sora nodded again, turning towards the tent as he heard footsteps come towards them. But once again, for the third time in as many minutes, Sora felt himself freeze in surprise. Kairi barely managed to suppress a shriek.

An enormous lion stood before Sora and Kairi, looking down at them proudly.

The two didn't move, not sure if the beast would attack. It was enormous…it could easily bite them in two if it was given an excuse.

"What business do you have here?" the lion asked, his amber eyes darting from face to face.

Sora barely managed to regain himself before he lost it. "Er…w-we're looking for our friend, Riku. We thought he might have shown up here."

The lion frowned slightly for a moment, thoughtful. Sora hadn't known lions could even make expressions. "Riku?"

Sora nodded. "I'm Sora, and this is Kairi. He should know us." If he's still normal. If he's still himself.

The lion blinked. "Sora and Kairi? I was told to meet a Sora and Namine."

"You were told to meet us?" Sora's mind whirled. "Are…are you Aslan?" he asked, studying the beast.

Aslan nodded. It was barely a nod, one that a king would give to his subjects, just enough to show his concent or agreement.

"A lion? Their king?," Kairi whispered to Sora. "Sora, where is this? Why aren't there any other humans?"

Aslan heard her. "That brings me back to my question. Who is Namine? Is she human, too?"

Sora nodded. "Yes. Well, sort of..."

"Where is she?"

"Um…she's part of me," Kairi said. She put a hand over her heart. "She's here. She's her own person, but she's…she's me."

"The daughters of Eve," the centaur behind Aslan murmured. The lion turned towards Sora.

"You…are you the same?"

Sora blinked, nodding. "Yes," he said. There was a light in the centaurs eyes that confused him.

"Can we meet him?"

"Um…sure," Sora said. Kairi went to hold the boy up as Sora closed his eyes, calling out to Roxas. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, this time through the eyes of Roxas.

Roxas straightened, looking around him. "What does Sora need help with?" he asked Kairi. "Did we find Riku?"

"And the sons of Adam," Aslan murmured.

His gaze fell upon the giant Aslan and he yelled. "Kairi, get behind me!" he ordered. But as he pushed Kairi behind him to safety, bracing for an attack, he saw the horde of beasts and beings staring at him.

"Whoa!" Roxas shouted, stumbling, spinning in a circle as if to face all the animals at once as his mind whirled. "Where is this?!"

"You are in Narnia," Aslan said calmly, despite Roxas' rude reaction.

"You can talk?!" Roxas stammered, jabbing a finger at Aslan. But the others didn't even glance at him. Kairi stepped forwards.

"Narnia? I've never heard of this world before," she said. "Why haven't we been able to visit before this?"

"We had it blocked off from other worlds," Aslan answered, ignoring the still stammering Roxas. "With new visitors comes new evil. But it seems that protecting Narnia forever was impossible. Man was still able to invent a way to enter our world, bringing darkness with it."

"What? What darkness?"

The centaur glanced at Aslan, as if to make sure that he knew what he was doing. The lion didn't even falter. "There is an evil known as the White Witch that is haunting these lands. She is gathering her forces, readying an army so powerful it could destroy all of Narnia."

Roxas finally stopped whirling and turned to Aslan. "The White Witch? …What does she look like?"

"She is as sharp as the swords she carries, and there is always a chill surrounding her. She dresses in the skins of her victims."

"Gruesome…," Kairi grimaced.

"Then at least we know she isn't a Nobody," Roxas said to her. "The Organization would only wear their black coats."

"But what did you mean by the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve?" Kairi asked.

Aslan studied them both for a moment before continuing. "There is a prophesy that when the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve come to Narnia, they will lead us to victory and save these lands."

"Lead you to victory? As in a war?"

Aslan nodded. "Yes. Along side me."

"Is that what all these…," he started to say people, but caught himself in time. "Is that why everyone is gathering here? To prepare for a war?"

Aslan nodded again.

"And… …_we_ are your chosen ones?"

"We are not sure. You are human, but that does not mean that you definitely are the ones. Either way, you may be able to help us find the real chosen ones. But whether you stay or not, that choice is yours. I will let you two discuss it amongst yourselves. But until you decide, make yourself at home. We will show you to your tent."

* * *

Sora lay on a crescent bed, arms behind his bed, his reflection shining in the mirror beside him. Roxas lay in the same position in the mirror, staring up at the ceiling. Kairi and Namine, locked in the reflection from a shining shield, sat and waited.

"… …So," Kairi finally said. "What do you think we should do?"

There was a long silence before Sora spoke. "I think we should help them. If we really are the chosen ones, then we have no choice."

"Why are you always like that?" Roxas snapped. His sharp tone made everyone look at him in surprise. "Why do you always want to help others like that? If you keep forcing yourself to help strangers like that, you'll never have time to help yourself."

Sora blinked, speechless. It was the first time Roxas had ever yelled at him before.

"Roxas, you shouldn't yell at Sora for that. Helping others is a good thing. If he wasn't like that, countless worlds would have been destroyed by now!"

"But sometimes you need to say no. Putting our lives in danger? Who says that we're the chosen ones? What does any prophesy have to do with fighting wars?"

"Roxas," Namine said quietly, staring hard into the Nobody's eyes. "Axel won't mind if he has to wait a little longer for you."

Roxas started, staring at her.

"… …In fact, I'm sure he's proud that you're doing all of this for him. You don't need to push yourself so hard."

Roxas was silent for a long moment, looking away. "I'm sorry, Sora. I suppose it really is a good thing that you want to make things right. Otherwise…you would have never agreed to help me."

Sora watched him for a moment, then smiled. "It's alright. I guess sometimes I am a little too helpful."

"A little?" Roxas muttered. But Namine spoke over his comment.

"Maybe we aren't even the ones in the prophesy. We aren't really four whole people, me and Roxas…we're only half. They must have the wrong people."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. But what if we are the four from the prophesy? What if they do need us? Are we going to stay?"

There was a long silence after his last question. Sora himself had to break it in the end.

"…It's getting late. We'll sleep on it and decide in the morning," he said. Roxas nodded.

"You're right. We should turn in," he said, disappearing from the mirror.

"Good night," Namine said, disappearing as well.

Kairi and Sora sat in the dim light, staring up at the ceiling.

"It seems…we can't go anywhere without it turning into an adventure," Kairi finally murmured.

"… …Yeah," Sora said. "It seems that way."

Cloud closed his eyes, putting his fingers to his temples. He slouched in his chair, using his fingertips to hold his head up. This was so stressful…. This new world was proving useless, there was no technology anywhere that he could find, and there was no trace of its existence in the computer's records.

* * *

What a waste of time this was proving to be. He had thought that by using a powerful computer he would have been able to find Sephiroth, easy. But it was turning out to be just as tedious as searching worlds on his own. At least then he hadn't been spending his time sitting in front of a computer.

Cloud sighed, straightening and reaching out to grab his sword. This wasn't working. He might as well get out of here. The others were gone, so now was a good time to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Cloud started and whirled around. There was Aerith, smiling up at him.

"Leaving without a goodbye?"

"… …I have better things to do than sit here in front of a computer screen."

"So you were just going to go?"

"Pretty much."

"To where?"

"I don't know…. Anywhere, I guess."

"Good!" said Yuffie, stepping through the door. "So then you won't mind coming along with us!"

"… …What…?"

Aerith laughed at his tone. Disbelieving, disgusted.

"Leon thinks we should explore the new world that just appeared," Yuffie explained. "And we want you to come with us."

"Sephiroth may be there," Aerith said, glancing at him triumphantly. "A new world means new possibilities."

Cloud eyed her with a venomous stare that plainly said, _I hate you._

"… … …Fine. I'll come."

"Great! Now let's go, Cid prepared a Gummi Ship for us!" Yuffie cried as she bolted from the door. Behind her followed Aerith and a solemn Cloud. It was going to be a long trip.


	8. Brush Against Death

_Why aren't there any Final Fantasy Worlds in Kingdom Hearts? It isn't fair. So I decided to make one myself. I just beat FF7 when I was working out the plot, so of course it had to work itself in somewhere. Just wait, next it's going to be Dirge of Cerberus._

* * *

Yuri hit the ground, tumbling a few feet before coming to a stop. He lay on the ground, dazed, slowly becoming aware of the world around him. He was lying on his back, grass beneath him. Sun shone in his face. What…? Where were they?

He heard shouts around him. The sounds of battle, explosions, clashing swords, cries of pain, roars.

Where were they?

Yuri struggled to sit, rubbing his head. He opened his eyes, seeing himself staring out into an ocean. The shore was a few yards away. His eyes fell upon a large shape and he started.

An airship. It was huge, landed on a ledge next to the shore. had heard of them before, but they weren't used anymore. Now people used gummi ships. Why was there an airship sitting there? It must belong to some old geezer, someone who didn't want to move on with the rest of the world.

The battle still sounded around him. It was getting closer. Yuri staggered to his feet and turned, only to be knocked to the ground as the world shook. Looking up, Yuri yelled in surprise.

A huge creature towered before him. He hadn't seen anything like it before. Below it was a group of people, launching spells and leaping towards it with weapons. Despite the size difference they were inflicting major damage, the beast stumbling back after each blow. But it still wasn't close to being defeated. They had to get out of the way.

Riku. Suddenly Yuri remembered. Where was he?

Getting to his feet again, Yuri looked around him. He had to find Riku, they should get out of here. The fight was getting closer and closer to them, if they didn't move soon they would be crushed beneath the creature's feet.

After a moment of searching Yuri felt his heart start to race. He wasn't here. They had both fallen through the same substance, shouldn't Riku be here, too?

Finally his gaze fell upon a figure sprawled upon the ground. He gave a relieved sigh, hurrying towards him.

"Get up, Riku," Yuri urged. "We need to get out of the way. Now get up!"

Riku didn't stir.

"Riku?"

Yuri grabbed Riku by the shoulder, rolling him over so the Nobody could see his face. His eyes were closed, and he still didn't move. Yuri felt his heart skip a beat and instantly his finger was to the boy's throat, feeling for a pulse. It was irregular. Struggling.

"Riku!" Yuri shouted, shaking the boy's shoulder vigorously. What was wrong with him? Yuri had been just fine….

"A… …Ah…," Riku murmured, shifting slightly. He grimaced, almost as if in pain. Yuri's worry lifted slightly, seeing Riku move, but not much. There was still something wrong with him. He was alive, but who knew for how long.

"Riku? What's wrong?"

Riku cried out weakly, as if trying to call for something. Trying to call to someone.

"Hey! Look out!"

Yuri jerked upright, seeing a shadow fall upon them. The creature was before them, taking a step. Right where they were.

Yuri yelled and tried to get out of the way, but he couldn't move fast enough. Not while pulling Riku, too.

Suddenly a flash of red collided with the beast's foot, knocking it to the side. Then a beast landed beside the two, looking at him with piercing eyes. It was like a lion, but red and mane-less. It had long fur growing down the back of his neck and paint on its face, like war paint

Yuri stared at it for a moment, startled. The beast watched him for a moment, unmoving. Then it opened it's mouth and spoke.

"Are you alright?"

"Whoa!" Yuri shouted, jerking back. The beast frowned.

"Yes," he growled. "It seems you're well enough. Now get over the shock and get out of the way."

Yuri blinked, stammered, but finally collected himself. With a nod he grabbed Riku under the arms, dragging him out of the way to where he was safe. Then he leapt to his feet, running towards the group fighting the giant creature.

"Hey!" a gruff man yelled, glaring at him over his shoulder. He shot bullet after bullet in rapid procession at his opponent's chest, supporting the gun attached to his arm with his other hand. "Get your skinny ass out of the way!"

"I'll help you fight it," Yuri said back, glancing over at the man. "Just give me a weapon, and I'll help."

"How do you know this is the right side to fight for?" Yuri started, turning to look beside him at the man he hadn't even noticed arrive. The man's voice was gruff and almost painful to listen to, as if he had been through much pain and hard times. His mouth hidden by a read cloak that wrapped around his shoulders. He twirled his gun, aimed, and fired a powerful shot at the creature's head.

Yuri stared at him for a moment. "Duh," he said finally. "It's a freaking monster. Now just give me a weapon."

The lion from before appeared beside him, holding something out in his mouth. Yuri took it and looked at it in his hand. It was a hairpin. He stared at it for a long time, silent. Then he tore his gaze away from the fenimine utensil and looked down at the beast.

"Are you serious or are you just trying to make fun of me?" Yuri asked, eyebrow raised. The lion glared.

"I apologize. Would you rather a megaphone?" it growled.

"Shut up and get to work, will yah?" a man shouted, throwing Yuri a spear. Yuri grabbed it, twirling it in his hands, getting used to its length. Then he braced, grasped it's handle in both fists, and charged.

With a shout Yuri sank the spear's point into the beast's leg. Then he slammed his hand against the wound, dark magic crawling from his palm and into the creature's skin. The creature howled, lashing out with its hand. Yuri brought up his spear to weaken the blow, supporting it with both hands. He braced, squeezing his eyes shut.

But the impact never came. He heard a clash of steel against thick skin and a grunt. Opening his eyes he saw a blond man before him, sword held out flat before him to hold back the creature's hand. He gritted his teeth, bracing his feet and digging his heels into the ground, fighting to not be flown back by the creature's strength. Yuri blinked. He knew this swordsman.

"Cloud?" Yuri stammered. He had seen him in the Hollow Bastion when he had been wandering the streets, a quick relief from the darkness. But he looked different. His clothes, his sword, he even looked a little younger.

Cloud looked slightly over his shoulder, as much as he could without shifting even a little of his strength away from his enemy's attack. "Do…do I know you?" he said through clenched teeth.

Yuri shook his head. "I'll tell you later," he said. He twirled his lance, forcing his dark magic into it. He felt it curl around the handle and steel. Then he leapt up into the air, driving the lance straight down. The point dug deep into the creature's hand, dark magic stabbing through its skin. The beast howled again.

It wasn't until too late that Yuri realized what a bad idea this was. With a cry he tried to leap back, but he wasn't fast enough.

The creature jerked upright, bringing Yuri along with it. Yuri yelled, clinging tightly onto the spear that was still stuck in the creature's arm. He wrapped his arms around it, not daring to let go. The ground was so far down…so far…. He gulped.

"Hey!" the man who had given him the spear shouted up at him. "What the hell are you doin'? Get yer ass down here!"

"Shut up, old man!" Yuri yelled back, still not daring to release his grip on the spear. He heard the man yell back, but Yuri ignored him.

Yuri stumbled to his feet, still gripping tightly to the spear. He staggered for a moment, gaining his balance. Then he yanked the spear from the beast's skin. The creature roared, thrashing. Yuri yelled and threw himself down, wrapping his arm around the creature's arm. He waited for the thrashing to die down, then he stumbled to his feet again. The creature tried to shake him off, but Yuri fought it. He clenched his teeth, held his breath, and charged for the creature's head. When he was feet from it he gave a shout, lunging with his spear and plunging it into the beast's neck.

The creature howled again and Yuri yelled, barely keeping from falling off. It thrashed for several long moments, Yuri struggling to keep his grip from faltering. Then the beast was still. Yuri opened his eyes, wondering if he had killed it. Not many things could survive a blow to the neck.

But no. It was just the opposite. The beast suddenly turned its head towards the sky and roared, power building around it. Yuri started, feeling his skin crawl. Such power…. It was overwhelming. How could he still have so much power?

Suddenly there was a flash of green and black, and Yuri felt a massive power strike him in the back, cutting right through him. The pain curled around him, speared through him, ate at him. He faltered, eyes wide in shock. Black teased at his vision, threatening to take over his senses. There was silence for a long moment. _What…that ray…did it almost kill me? _He felt himself slip off of the creature's shoulder, falling down to the ground below.

_No…it did. I'm going to die. _Thoughts raced through his mind as he fell. _Without ever becoming whole...without ever becoming real. How...? _He felt his heart falter, the darkness pulse through his mind and senses. _Not yet..._

Suddenly there was a burst of heat, a squawk from a bird. He felt talons wrap around him, stopping his fall. He opened his eyes weakly, looking up.

There was a large bird holding him in it's claws, its wings burning like fire. _A phoenix…._

The phoenix screeched, fire building up around it. Yuri tensed as the heat bit his skin. This thing had caught him…now it was going to burn him alive?

But the fires didn't envelope him. Instead they shot towards their enemy, engulfing him in flame. The creature roared, howled in pain. It stumbled, staggered, finally defeated.

"…Whoa," Yuri murmured, watching the flames curl around the still howling creature. He felt his vision flicker, his thoughts falter, and the darkness finally consumed him.

But before he felt himself completely slip away, he felt a burning in his chest. It was just a flicker at first, but quickly it spread, grew, sending heat through him. It chased away the darkness that curled around his mind, his lungs, allowing him to breathe again.

Yuri opened his eyes with a start, jerking upright. Beside him was the cloaked man, and Yuri looked up at him just in time to see the phoenix burst into flame, disappearing into a red sphere in the man's glove. The man glanced down at him.

"… …Are you alright?" he murmured, barely a question, his voice cold and unwelcoming.

Yuri blinked, then nodded. "Yeah," he murmured. "I thought I was dead."

"You were."

"What?" Yuri stammered. The man ignored him and walked off with a dramatic sweep of his cape. Yuri abandoned the question, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

He heard footsteps come up to him. He glanced up, seeing Cloud before him. He frowned at him, curious and at the same time hesitant.

"…Who are you?" he asked.

Yuri rose to his feet. "Yuri," he answered. "But I'm not from around here." That was putting it mildly. "I only know you because I've seen you around Hallow Bastion a few times."

Cloud's frown deepened. "Where?"

"You know, the Hollow Bastion. You were there with Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith."

At the mention of Aerith, Cloud stiffened.

Yuri didn't notice. "Cid, I didn't recognize you at first," he continued. "But you were there, too."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Cid said, shaking his head and lighting a cigarette.

"What?" Yuri frowned. "It wasn't that long ago. How can't you remember?"

"Even I don't remember any of that stuff," Yuffie said, cocking her head to the side.

"What? What's wrong with you guys? Cloud, can't you remember any of this? What about Aerith?" he asked, looking around. "Where is she? She should remember."

"…Aerith is dead," Cloud said quietly. "A few days ago…she was killed."

Yuri stopped short, turning to look at him. "… …What?" he asked. What was going on here? None of them remembered? It was only a day ago. And Aerith…. How could she have died days ago? She was there with them last time he was in Hollow Bastion.

Suddenly Yuri realized that there was something going on here that he shouldn't mess with. Something was wrong, and until he found out what he shouldn't make a fool of himself.

"…I'm sorry," Yuri murmured, looking down mornfully. "After seeing you two at the Hollow Bastion…."

"What's the Hollow Bastion?" said something that resembled a stuffed animal and a cat. Yuri stared at the thing for a long moment, losing his train of thought. Half a minute passed. Finally he regained his composure.

"It was a bar a couple of days ago," he continued. "Cid had drug Cloud with him. Yuffie, I think you were somewhere in the back. Maybe it was someone else, we all had too much to drink so it was hard to tell one face from another. But I met you guys there. It doesn't surprise me that you don't remember, Cloud, you had even more to drink than I did."

"How'd you get into a bar?" the gruff man from before asked, eyeing him. "You're not old enough to drink."

Yuri shrugged. "They let me in because I'm cute," he lied.

"What about Aerith?" a brown haired girl asked. "You said you knew her, too."

"After we left she was outside." Yuri laughed. "She was pretty mad, too. It almost sounded like she was his mother. Kinda cute scene, expecially watching Cloud get chewed out," he added tauntingly.

Yuri saw Cloud's eyes narrow as he tried to hide his embarrassment. It sounded like something Aerith would do.

"…I don't remember any of that," Cloud said.

Yuri shrugged. "I told you, were too drunk to stand."

Cloud scratched the back of his head, looking way, muttering something about never being able to hold alcohol well.

"Where's this 'Hollow Bastion'?" the gruff man asked. "I've never heard of it."

Uh oh.

"Er…I'm not sure," Yuri stammered. "I was just wandering through towns when I stumbled upon it. It was a big city, though, pretty flashy."

"It must have been the Golden Saucer," the girl said. "They must have at least one bar there, right?"

"Yeah, that must have been it," Yuri said, hiding his relief.

He didn't know why he was lying like this. He really had seen Cloud, Yuffie and Cid. He really had seen Aerith alive, talking with Cloud casually only a day before. But what was going on here?

Where was he?

"Hey," the lion said, walking up to him. "Where's that friend of yours?"

Yuri started. "Riku!" he stammered. He had forgotten about him again. Worry raced through him once more. When he had left him he was half dead. Was he still alive now?

"I need help," Yuri said, running to where he had left Riku. "My friend is hurt, and I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Cloud!" the girl interrupted. "Look at WEAPON!"

Cloud whirled, seeing the creature staggering, struggling to walk. Determined. He clenched his fists. "Follow it. Don't let it get near the city. Tifa, Red XIII, you come with me." Then he turned, following Yuri and the girl.

Yuri lead them to where Riku lay. The boy was still right where Yuri had left him, the only signs of life being his incoherent murmurs and his weakly shaking head.

"He was like this when we got here," Yuri murmured. "I don't know what happened."

The girl gasped. "Cloud, that looks like…!"

Cloud nodded. He knelt beside Riku, feeling his pulse. Without looking up he asked, "When you got here…. What do you mean?"

After how the others had disbelieved his first story, he doubted they would believe this one, either. But he had no choice, maybe it would help them find out what had happened to Riku.

"We fell through this weird green stuff," Yuri answered. "It was like gel, but when he touched it he just fell in. When I followed him I woke up here, and he was like this."

Cloud sighed. "That was Mako," he said. "It's very dangerous…. Especially when someone is exposed to it for a long time. This same thing happened to me only a short while ago."

"So you know how to take care of it?"

"Yes, but…. You won't like my answer."

Yuri waited.

"He's going to have to cure himself," Cloud said, standing. "He has to want to be alive again. Or someone close to him has to convince him that his life matters."

Yuri sighed. So he might not pull through. Yuri wasn't close enough to convince Riku to recover. He barely knew him. And after Riku's past, he would probably give anything just to fade away. Yuri was sure of it. He would be the same way. Years lost in darkness can make you lose hope….

"But why weren't you affected?" Red XIII asked. "You said you both fell through the Mako, right?"

Yuri shrugged. But he knew. It was because he wasn't human. He was barely real.

The brown haired girl knelt beside him. "You can stay with us for tonight," she said, felling Yuri's stress. "It seems after what happened you need a day or two to get back on your feet."

Yuri nodded. "Thanks," he said. But he could need more than a day. To figure out where he was, what was going on, and how to make things right again, all of that could take a lifetime to explain.

Cloud stood. "Red XIII, stay with him and explain what's going on. He seems a little lost. Me and Tifa are going after WEAPON."


	9. Kings of Narnia

"_What's with these CD's?" Axel groaned, scanning through the stack. He threw them behind his shoulder one by one, most of them fortunately landing on the bed behind him. The rest of them clattered against the blue carpet floor. _

"_Hey, watch it!" Roxas hissed, hurriedly picking up the CD cases. He was new here, but the other Nobodies had made it _very_ clear that their rooms were off-limits. "We aren't even supposed to be in here. If you start throwing his music around-"_

"_He can't do anything about it," Axel said, undaunted by Roxas' irritation, continuing to throw the music cases around the room. "Everyone knows that Demyx is the worst fighter in the Organization. Now help me find a heavy metal CD, I can't believe the music freak doesn't have a single Lead Zeppelin album in here."_

"_Axel!" Roxas cried, struggling to keep his voice quiet as he rushed to catch a CD before it was flung into the wall. He leapt over he bed and caught another, racing across the room before yet another case hit the floor and broke. Roxas paused. Slowly he turned, studdying Axel's face suspiciously._

_There was a grin on Axel's face as he watched him out of the corner of his eye. Amused._

"_You're doing that on purpose!" Roxas yelled, throwing a pillow at him._

_Axel laughed, ducking out of the way. "Yeah, pretty much." The pillow hit the wall and knocked over a box of guitar picks. _

_Roxas dug his fingers into his hair, pulling at it in frustration. "Axel! Look what you're doing!"_

"_What? You threw the pillow," Axel said, turning his back to his friend and digging through more CD's. "Aha!" he cried, triumphant, holding up a Gun and Roses CD victoriously._

_Suddenly the door started to open._

_Roxas and Axel froze. _

"_Oh snap," Axel muttered, shoving a heavy chest into the door, holding it shut. The door hit the chest, paused, then hit it again as the person in the hallway struggled to open the heavy white door._

"_Hey!" a voice shouted from outside. "Who's in there?!"_

_Axel whirled to Roxas, putting a finger before his lips. Roxas rolled his eyes. Duh._

"_How do we get out of here?" Roxas whispered, making sure to keep himself from being heard by Demyx. Not that that was difficult, the Nobody was shouting threats and profanity while banging ceaselessly against the door._

_Axel turned, looking around the room. The window was much too small to crawl out of, and even if they could there was no way down. The walls were too smooth, and there was no ground beneath the floating fortress. The only door was blocked by furious Nobody, who definitely did not sound as weak as the stories told._

"_Well?" Roxas demanded. Axel gave a final glance around the room, then turned to Roxas._

"_See ya," he said, disappearing into darkness and vanishing from the room._

"_Hey!!" Roxas shouted, lunging for the portal. But it was already gone. "That's not fair! I haven't learned that yet!"_

_But his shouts only echoed through the empty room. Axel was probably all the way back in his room by now. _

_Suddenly Demyx managed to burst open the door, knocking the chest across the room and stumbling inside, his arms waving like pinwheels as he struggled to keep from falling. After a moment of stumbling, Demyx bent over so far to keep from falling his face was parallel with the floor, he finally caught himself. He straightened, looked up at Roxas, mouth open to speak. But he stopped short, frown disappearing in shock as he looked at the room around him. _

"_What the… …," he murmured, turning in a full circle as he looked at the mess. "Geez, how the heck did you cause so much damage? Even I… … …DUDE!!"_

_Roxas jumped at Demyx's sudden shout, watching him race from the doorway to his CD collection. "What the hell did you do?!" he shouted. "You trashed my collection! Geez, they're everywhere…," he whined, stomping and whining like a two year old. Then he stiffened, shoulders tense in anger. He whirled, seeing Roxas inching towards the doorway. Roxas jumped._

"_I…I didn't, I swear!" Roxas stammered, waving his hands before him defensively. "I…I just…!"_

_Demyx ignored him. He turned his head sharply, seeing his sitar still waiting on its stand. He snatched it, twirling it in his hands, warming it up before he bent over it, fingers curled to play._

_Roxas took a step back, hands trembling. He hadn't learned to fight yet, he didn't know anything about being a Nobody._

"_Okay water…DANCE!"_

_Demyx struck a thunderous chord and Roxas flinched. He had a feeling he was about to find out how strong Demyx could be._

"_Hey, bed wetter."_

_Demyx blinked, turning. There was Axel, casually leaning against the window, twirling a CD case in his hand. _

"_Dude, why is everyone in my room? Just get out! And for the last time, Axel, stop calling me that!"_

"_Yeah, whatever. I just thought you might want to think twice before hitting the newbie over there. As easy as it may be."_

"_Hey!" Roxas shouted. The two ignored him._

"_What are you talking about?" Demyx asked. "Hey! What are you doing with my CD! Give it back!"_

_Axel held it just above Demyx's flailing hand. "I'm sure the others would be surprised to see what CD's you have in your collection," he said with a grin, mischievous cat-like eyes flashing. "Who would have known this was hidden amongst the Greenday and L'arcenciel."_

_Demyx's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with my music taste, now give it back!"_

"_Should we ask Zexion? Larxene, perhaps? I'm sure they'd be very amused with this one."_

"_Okay! Okay! Geez!" Demyx whined, stomping his foot. "Just get out of here! And if you ever tell anyone about that CD…."_

"_Yeah, whatever," Axel said, tossing the CD over his shoulder. Demyx yelled and lunged to catch it, barely managing to snatch it before it fell out the window. When he turned around, Axel and Roxas were gone._

_Axel stepped from the portal, letting go of Roxas' arm as soon as they were on solid ground. Roxas crossed his arms in agitation._

"_What?" Axel asked, looking down at him innocently. _

"_You left me there!"_

"_Yeah, only to put the CD in my room. I worked hard to get that thing, I wasn't about to let Demyx take it back from me."_

"_He was about to wack me!"_

"_I told you, that kid is the weakest Nobody in the Organization. You had nothing to worry about."_

_Roxas snorted, looking away as they walked down the hallway. After a moment he looked back up at the Nobody beside him who was striding confidently down the white halls._

"_What was that CD, anyways?"_

_Axel laughed, stopping to lean against the wall. "Don't have a clue," he said. "I just picked it up off of the floor and bluffed." He grinned, teeth flashing mischievously. "But that means he really does has something in there to be ashamed of."_

_Roxas felt a chill crawl up his spine. "No," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "No, no, no. We are _not_ going back there."_

_Axel just laughed, continuing down the hallway._

"_I'm serious!" Roxas shouted, running after him. "Axel!"_

* * *

Sora jerked awake, moonlight glistening on his faintly glistening face. This dream…. He had recognized the faces this time. Demyx…Axel… …Roxas. These dreams he was having…. Could they be…?

"Roxas!" Sora hissed, sitting up and facing a mirror before him. Roxas' face was slouched against the frame, eyes closed as he slept. "Roxas!" he hissed again, making sure not to wake Kairi, who was asleep on the far corner of the tent.

Roxas stirred, nose twitching as he was slowly pulled from sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, then looked up at the anxious face of Sora.

"What?" he muttered, obviously irked at being woken up in the middle of the night.

"These dreams…. They're yours, aren't they?"

Roxas watched him for a moment, eyes unreadable.

"These dreams…. I saw Axel in them. And this time Demyx. And the halls of Castle Oblivion. These dreams are your memories. Aren't they?"

"…Yeah. I didn't know you were seeing them, too."

"…."

Roxas gave a short laugh, a laugh without a hint of happiness. "That's embarrassing," he murmurs. "I had thought that memories were supposed to be kept to yourself. But I guess they have a knack at leaking out… …huh?" There's a painful tone in his voice. A tone that makes Sora's heart sting.

"Yeah… …they're mine," Roxas continues. "All those memories, they've been haunting me during the past few days. But they're all about one person. They always have the same face in them."

"Axel."

Roxas nods, not looking at Sora's face. Looking at the wall, at the chair, anything but his face. "That's what made me take you off of your islands. They made me think…. Maybe he was waiting for me. Maybe he was still out there. That's why I was still remembering him so vividly."

"Sometimes…," Sora murmured, "when you lose someone close to you, you can't stop thinking about them. Not until you find yourself again." Kairi. Riku. That's how he had felt when he had lost them.

"But that's not all of it," Roxas said, light shining in his eyes. Hope. He finally met Sora's gaze, such excitement in his eyes you'd think he was nothing but a little boy. "Some of them…they were Axel's memories. Not mine. At first I was confused, but then I remembered the charm he gave you."

Sora's fingers instinctively twitched towards his pocket where the keychain's lay. The Bond of Flame.

"Maybe…maybe that was where his memories were coming from," Roxas continued. "Maybe he was waiting inside that charm. I felt him waiting…. He was waiting for me to help him. To see him again."

"Roxas," Sora started, feeling even more pity as he sees his Nobody's gaze. He was so hopeful…. If this was all for nothing, he would be distraught….

Roxas turned away, leaning against the gold mirror frame. "…I must sound like a kid," he murmured, "not wanting to accept the death of his pet dog or something…. But I swear, this isn't all false hope. There's something going on here, and maybe I can make things right again. Just give me a chance."

Sora watched him for a moment, silent. Then, finally, he nodded. "Okay. After we're through here, we'll go find your friend."

* * *

"Ung…I hate flying…."

"…Shut up. We're almost there."

"Stupid Cid…. I thought he fixed the bumpy auto-pilot."

"…"

"We're almost there, Yuffie. Don't worry. See, we're landing already."

Yuffie clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from throwing up, but that didn't stop her from continuously moaning and complaining throughout the trip. Cloud watched as the ground quickly came closer and closer. _Not fast enough,_ he thought. _Why did I agree to this? I wonder if I could shoot myself with Leon's gunblade before anyone stops me…._

But nobody found out whether he really would have killed himself out of pure irritation, because just then the ship started to howl, a siren ringing in the four's ears.

"What? Cloud, what's going on?"

"… …Oh, crap."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Cid's prototype sucks. We're going to crash."

"How can you be so calm, Leon?! We're gonna freaking die!"

"Shut up so we can figure this out."

"Stupid ship! I hate flying!"

Cloud probably would have beaten himself senseless by hitting his head against the wall if he wasn't so preoccupied working on the ship. Leon pushed buttons beside him, eyes fixed upon the screen. His gaze wasn't looking hopeful. Cloud wasn't feeling much better about the situation, either.

"Well? Can you figure it out?"

"… … …Crap."

"We're gonna freaking die!"

_Never mind_, Cloud thought. _I wonder if I can shoot _Yuffie _with Leon's gunblade before anyone stops me.

* * *

_

Sora stepped from the tent and into the sunshine. Beside him Kairi rubbed her eyes drowsily, only just waking up.

"So…. We've decided to stay?" he asked Kairi. Kairi nodded.

"I guess so. We have to at least _try_ to help, right?"

Sora nodded. Then he blinked, looking up at the sky.

"What's that?"

Kairi looked as well, noticing almost all of the army was staring into the sky and murmuring in surprised voices to each other. Her eyes widened.

"Sora! It's a-!"

Sora nodded. "A gummi ship," he finished. But it wasn't stopping. It wasn't even slowing down. And were those flames? Sora's eyes widened.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted, waving his arms at the army that was stretched across the field. "Move! Get out of the way!"

"Why isn't it stopping?"

"It doesn't look like it has much of a choice," Sora said, grabbing Kairi's arm and running away from the crashing gummi ship.

Suddenly the ship hit ground, dirt and grass flying everywhere. Sora and Kairi were knocked off of their feet and landed hard on the ground, several dwarves and jaguars landing beside them.

After a long moment everyone started to move again, slowly rising from the ground and turning towards the gummi ship. Murmurs filled the air, surprised and trying to figure out what was going on. Before them lay a battered and destroyed gummi ship, smoking in the crater it had left in the ground. Sora stepped forwards. Was it Riku? Maybe he had gotten a gummi ship…. Maybe they wouldn't have to search for him after all.

"I'm gonna kill 'em!"

Sora blinked. "Is that…?"

Yuffie stumbled from the smoking rubble, staggering and almost falling onto the ground.

"I'm gonna freaking KILL him! Stupid Cid! Stupid stupid _stupid_!"

"Calm down," Leon grumbled, rising from the smoke much more steadily and calmly than Yuffie had. Yuffie sank on to the ground.

"Back on the ground…. Where people are meant to be," she said, thanking the heavens.

"Is everyone alright?" Aerith asked, staggering into view. She ran her fingers through her hair, checking to make sure it was still in place. She dusted off her dress, looking around her. Then she blinked, fear crossing her face.

"Cloud!" she cried, whirling and digging through the rubble. "Cloud! Please tell me you're alright!"

She knelt on the ground, frantically searching. Suddenly a dark shape stepped from the smoke calmly, completely ignoring her. He passed her, stepping onto the grass that was still intact even after the crash, looking around at the scene around him. Aerith straightened, turned, then beamed.

"Cloud!" she said, hurrying to her feet and stepping forwards, relief on her face. "I knew you wouldn't be beaten by a simple gummi crash."

"…Of course you didn't. Which explains the frantic searching and screams."

Aerith giggled. She could hear the relief in his voice, happy that she was alright, even though he was trying to act cool.

"Hey, guys!"

Leon looked up from where he was pulling Yuffie to her feet. "Sora," he said, turning to face him.

"What happened?" Sora asked, glancing towards the gummi ship.

"Cid, that's what happened," Yuffie said as she stumbled to her feet. "Him and his stupid prototype."

"Are you all alright?"

"Yeah," Leon murmured, looking around. "Sora, where is this?"

After a few minutes of explaining, Cloud nodded.

"Great. So we landed here, just to be plunged into a war. Perfect."

"Actually," Sora murmured, scratching his head uncomfortably. "That may not be all…."

"Kings and queens of Narnia?" Yuffie stammered. Her jaw dropped.

"Yeah. Whoever leads them to victory in the war is the future rulers of Narnia."

Cloud's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "…So whoever's group is the strongest in battle is the future kings and kings?"

"Yup," Sora said, putting his hands behind his head proudly. Of course Cloud would see that they Keyblade master would automatically be the strongest of the-

"Great," Cloud grumbled. "Which means we're inevitably going to be stuck with the position of Narnia's ruler?"

Sora staggered from shock. Catching himself, he clenched his fists with a furious scowl.

"What are you talking about?" he shouted. "I'm stronger than you are! I've beaten you dozens of times!"

"Yeah? Well how good are you on an actual battlefield? So far all I've seen you do is take on small groups of heartless at a time."

"Well I bet I could-!"

"Guys," Leon cut in, putting a hand to his temples to sooth his headache. "Which one of you actually _wants_ to be king? You don't have time to be ruling an entire world."

Cloud and Sora froze, staring at Leon as the thought processed. Then Cloud closed his eyes in agitation, crossing his arms.

"Then what are we going to do? Fight the weakest and try to get the other stuck with the job?"

Suddenly there was a shout amongst the army behind them. "Aslan! Aslan! More humans are approaching! They've come with the beavers!"

Sora, Cloud and Leon simultaneously turned their eyes, meeting each other's gazes.

"Or," Cloud said, "We could make _them_ look good and get _them_ stuck with the chore of ruling a planet."

"Poor kids," Leon said as he watched the newcomers, two teenagers and two children, walking through the army towards Aslan's tent, not sounding sympathetic in the slightest. "They have no idea what's in store for them. Lets hope it stays that way until we're well out of here."


	10. Final Preparations

_Dark abyss…. I feel it consume me. Where am I?_

_Pounding fills my ears. Surrounding me within its sound. Steady beats that wrap themselves around me. What are they? They sound so familiar…. Remembrance teases at my mind, waiting for me to grasp it. Heart… …heartbeat...? Is that a beating heart? Who's is it?_

Yours _says a voice inside my head. Mine. _

This darkness is where your heart thrives. This darkness is you.

_This darkness…. This darkness is me? I'm in my heart? This is what it looks like, locked in darkness? How…? _

_I can barely remember anything. Even my own name, I can feel it slipping from me grasp._

_Who am I?_

_Someone…he's standing before me. I can scarcely recognize his face and murmur his name as it emerges from my memories._

"… …_Sora…."_

_I hear him speak but can't decipher the words, lost in the black emptiness around us. Sora... I can vaguely remember…all those memories. But the ones from the darkness, those are stronger. How he had left me for his new friends. How he had replaced me…. _

_Sora didn't trust me. He hadn't trusted me enough to follow me into the darkness._

He had abandoned you.

He had betrayed you.

_Sora steps forwards, reaching out a hand to grab my arm. But I step back, away from his touch. Why? Why should I follow? Why should I trust him when he left me?_

_An emotion crosses Sora's face, a combination between confusion and pity._

_Pity._

_Sora steps forwards only for me to take another step back. Now the confusion is filling me, too. What am I doing? Why was I running?_

_What am I doing…?_

_But although I question myself I don't stop. I keep walking back, away from those blue eyes that pierce the darkness, away from his outstretched hand, away from the light and into the darkness._

_I feel myself falling. Falling through the emptiness. Falling through those clear blue eyes._

_The ground is coming up fast, and there is nothing to slow my fall. Nothing to save me now._

But is that a curse, or a blessing?

_But when I hit the ground I don't stop. I still feel the wind lashing at my face as I continue to fall. Bright light strikes my eyelids, harsh compared to the consuming darkness. I open my eyes._

_I am falling through clear blue, a sky. Bright sunshine, clear are. Beneath me is purer blue…an ocean. My ocean. Destiny Islands…._

_I close my eyes and feel the wind hissing at my ears. Stinging my face. The smell of this air…. The warmth of this sun…. I had never loved it more. My islands…._

_There's a crash as I break through the waves, water rushing around me. Filling my mouth, my nose, current pulling at my clothes and hair._

_I stand, water streaming down my face and hair as I rise above the ocean waves. I look up, seeing the sparkling sand, the green trees, the golden sun. All of this…. I remember when I had wanted to leave all this. When I had wanted nothing more than to be free of these beaches. But now…._

_I walk through the shallow water, towards the shore. Maybe I can see them again…. All my friends, everything I used to take for granted when I had lived here before._

_Is this real, or is this just a memory?_

_It doesn't matter. I'm home. _

_My foot hits the dry sand, and I feel a chill run through me. A familiar chill. I look down and see darkness spreading from my step, consuming the beach around it. I step back, off of the beach and back into the surf, but not fast enough._

_Already the darkness is eating the clear beach, turning it black and dead. I watch helplessly, my heart growing heavier and heavier as the beach, the islands, they all disappear before my eyes, becoming nothing but darkness. The trees crumple and bend, the shacks we had worked so hard to build creak, ready to collapse. The sun is eaten away by darkness as the sky turns a deep gray, the clear blue long gone._

_I fall to my knees, waves lapping at my pants. Gone. Consumed by darkness, leaving me in what had held me for so long. Gone._

_I fall forwards, catching myself with my hands. I stare at them, fingers dug into the wet sand. Black sand. Black water. I squeeze my eyes shut to block out the sight, but even then all I see is black. _

_Everywhere you turn is darkness. Its in your mind, in your heart. You can't escape it. You can't defeat it. Then how do you overcome it?_

_How do you survive?_

You don't.

_Footsteps. I open my eyes and see a pair of black shoes before me. Looking up, I see a shadow, a silhouette, standing out even in this darkness. It watches me, silent. Anger builds up inside of me. Fueled by the darkness in my heart. I don't even know why I'm so angry, but there's nothing I want more than to drive a blade through this shadow's heart._

_I lunge, leaping to my feet with a roar, Road to Dawn in my hands. The shadow brings up a blade, blocking my blow and leaping around me. But before he can strike I lash out again, anger powering my attacks. Again and again I strike, not giving my opponent a chance to counterattack. He stumbles, struggling to block my flying blade. _

_Fury. That's all I feel. I had to watch my home be destroyed by darkness for a second time, I had to watch it be destroyed by _me._ There's nothing I want more than to cut something down. There's nothing I want more than to destroy it all. Burn it all._

_Just make the memory go away._

_Finally my blade finds flesh. I feel my sword plunge into the silhouette's chest and the being falters, stumbling back. Everything is still for a long moment, by breath coming quick._

_But it stops short as the shadows retreat from my opponents face._

_Sora stumbles, stares at the black sky with wide, vacant eyes. Then I feel him slip, falling towards the dark ground._

_A cry escapes my lips and I leap forwards, catching him before he falls. But as my fingers graze his skin he vanishes, disappearing into the darkness. I stumble, fall to my knees, eyes disbelieving and stricken. No…._

You're the one who destroyed these islands. You're the one who's to blame for everything that happened here.

_No…._

Sora will die because of you. You said so yourself. Darkness is everywhere. There is no way to overcome it, no way to survive against it.

_I feel the islands crumble around me, the ground cracking and falling at my feet, the trees crashing to the sand and crumpling like dust. _

He will die.

_I look up into the black sky, arms hanging helplessly at my sides. All this…. We had tried to work all this out. We had tried to ignore it. But its impossible. Its impossible to forget. Darkness is impossible to defeat._

_We'll die._

_I don't flinch as I feel the ground crumple beneath me.

* * *

_

Yuri started, jerking upright. He felt his heart skip a beat as darkness met his gaze. It was just like the dream…. Everywhere he turned, darkness met his stare.

It took him a few moments to fully wake up and realize that it was night, and he had only been dreaming. He took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. After he had relaxed a bit he sighed, thinking about the dream.

That dream…. Something about it made him feel like it wasn't his own. Like it was somebody else's. His gaze automatically wandered towards the unconscious form beside him.

Riku?

Cloud had said that when he had been in his coma provoked by the Mako he had had dreams, haunting dreams that had made him want to die, want to let himself fade away.

Was this one of them? How was he seeing Riku's dreams?

It must be because he was his Nobody. They were connected, and these dreams were strong enough to effect him. But there was another question that growing in his mind.

_If I can see his dreams…. Then could I speak to him in them, too? Could I convince him to wake up in his dreams?_

"Is he awake yet?"

Yuri looked up, seeing Tifa standing before him. She had a kind smile on her face. Forcing out hope to encourage him.

"Not yet," he said. "How long did it take Cloud to recover?"

Tifa bit her lip. "A while," she said, not at all optimistically. She knelt beside Riku, watching him. "He seems…different that Cloud was. Cloud was trying to talk to us, at least I think he was. He was at least making sounds. Your friend stopped moving a long time ago…. He's alive, but…."

Yuri stood as she trailed off. "Are the others back yet?" It was awkward talking about this. "Vincent, Cloud and Yuffie?" They had explained as much as they could before leaving, about where they where and what was going on. The rest Tifa and Red XIII had patiently explained.

Tifa immediately dropped the old subject as well. "Not yet. They're still at Mideel, stocking up. They should be back soon, though, now that the barrier around the crater is gone."

Yuri nodded, remembering how the giant ray had cut through the air above them, even through the Diamond WEAPON. Even through the barrier around crater.

When the ray had been shot, Riku had screamed as if it was cutting through him instead of WEAPON. All of that energy, it was making the Mako that consumed him react. It had startled Yuri more than anyone else. If Mako had effected him, that could have been him, too, writhing on the ground….

He shook the thoughts from his head. "Cloud…," he murmured. "I've only seen him around a few times, but even then he's so obsessed with Sephiroth. What did Sephiroth do to him?"

Tifa looked away, thinking. "I think…he's trying to prove something to himself. Redeem himself. Settle the score. There are thousands of things it could be. The others fight him because they want to save the planet."

"And you?"

Tifa smiled to herself, turning her face away. "…I want to fight with Cloud."

Warnings immediately went off in Yuri's head. Continue on this conversation and it'll get sappy. He'd seen what happened when they thought everyone was away. He shook his head, casting the thought from his mind.

Fortunately he was saved as Vincent, Yuffie and Cloud returned. Cloud silently dropped a bag of materia at Tifa's feet. Tifa went through them, Vincent grabbing Yuffie's arm and pulling her away from the bag. Yuri frowned in confusion, wondering why they were keeping Yuffie away from the materia, but didn't ask. Cloud dropped a pile of weapons on the ground, looking through them.

"We have enough weapons for everyone," he said handing them out. He glanced over at Yuri. "I didn't buy anything for you. You aren't coming, am I right?"

Yuri blinked. He hadn't thought about that much. He had just realized a while ago that they were going to head straight to Sephiroth to save their planet. He wasn't skilled with fighting, not enough to be much of a use.

Before he can answer, Vincent speaks. "Cloud, before we go…," he murmurs. "I want to visit her again."

Yuri stared at him blankly, sure no one had any idea what he was talking about. But Cloud immidiately nodded, brushing dirt off his gloves casually.

"Sure," he answered. "Hopefully the sea will calm everyone's nerves. But after that, we're going."


	11. Training in Narnia

Kairi laughed so hard she almost fell out of her saddle. Sora, on the other hand, _did _fall out of his saddle. But he sure wasn't laughing.

"This isn't funny, Kairi," Sora grumbled, pulling himself to his feet. Kairi giggled again.

"Yes it is," she said, putting a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. She looked at the scene around her, and couldn't help but to laugh again. "I didn't think anyone could be so bad at riding horses!"

They were hopeless. The captains of the army had said that they needed to learn to ride a horse, if they were going to fight they were going to need to learn how. They had the advantage if they were on a mount. But the group still had a long way to go. Even Leon and Cloud were struggling.

Cloud sat on his horse, staring down at it with a dark scowl on his face. The steed had already thrown him off twice and swore at him once, causing Cloud to fall off again at the shock of a horse talking. Leon was now able to ride the horse without toppling off when it was charging, but it had taken a while. Everyone else had caught on fast, although Sora would have the occasional fall.

"I don't see why we have to use horses," Sora complained. "I'm better on foot."

"Didn't you need Pegasus to defeat the Hydra?"

"Yeah, but…. That was different," Sora grumbled, his bottom lip sticking out slightly in a pout.

Just then Cloud fell again, causing more laughter from the others.

"Forget this," Cloud muttered through gritted teeth, spitting dirt out of his mouth as he pushed himself upright. "Where's my sword?"

"Settle down, Cloud," Leon said as Cloud's horse reared up in alarm to his threat, running off. "We just need to stay on these until the battle starts. Then we'll ditch the horses and fight on our own."

"Excuse me?" Leon's horse raised an eyebrow, looking back at him. "Ditch us? You act as if we're nothing but pack horses."

"Sorry, Chestnut," Leon said, patting the horse on the head. Chestnut snorted, dropping the conversation. Yuffie laughed, fingered jabbed at Leon.

"You're apologizing to a horse!" she said between laughter. "And you called it Chestnut! I never thought I'd see that!" Her laughter stopped abruptly as she hit the ground, her own horse knocking her off in annoyance. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I still don't see why we can't just leave," Cloud muttered, ignoring Yuffie completely, brushing dirt off of his clothes. "They're army is big enough. Why do we all have to play hero?"

"Because their army is _not_ big enough," Sora replied. "Have you seen the White Witch's army?"

"No, have you?" Cloud asked, shooting him a glance. Sora pressed his lips together in annoyance.

"No," he said grudgingly. "I didn't mean it literately, I just meant that these people need all the help they can get."

"Besides," Aerith cut in, riding up beside Cloud. "I know you want to help, just like you wanted to help Midgar. The old Cloud is in there somewhere."

Before things got too sappy, Kairi cut in. "Guys, it looks like they're getting armor and weapons. We should probably grab something before it's all gone."

"Oh yeah, you don't have a weapon, do you?" Sora said, dropping clumsily off of the saddle. "C'mon, we'll get you a bow or something."

Kairi nodded, landing softly on the ground and following him. Butterflies were racing in her chest. Her first fight, and it was a battle from the books she used to read. Magic, monsters…. Was she ready for this?

* * *

Yuri sat at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the clear water below him. The waterfall raged beside him, mist spraying in his face. He squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance and ran his fingers through his silvery-blonde hair, brushing it down. It was getting wet from all the water in the air.

Cloud had let him come, but told him he should leave before they headed for the crater. They couldn't guarantee his safety once they were there. Yuri stared at the water in thought. Should he go? He didn't want to throw his life away, but…. They were all trying to protect their planet. He couldn't just sit back and watch, even if he wasn't from here. He had to do something to help.

Besides…. His gaze turned up towards the horizon. What was he living for? To protect himself. Watch out for himself, and himself only. Compared to protecting an entire planet, he couldn't help but to feel a pang of guilt. He couldn't just walk off now, knowing he'd left them to fight Sephiroth alone.

Vincent had left for the cave behind him hours ago, and they hadn't heard anything of him since. What was he doing in there? Cloud said something about him behind here before, something about a "Lucrecia". Who was that? His wife or something? Maybe girlfriend. Even if he acted like it, he didn't look _that _old. And what was she doing in a cave like that?

Yuri sighed, laying on his back and staring up at the sky, his hands behind his head like a pillow. Riku still hadn't woken up. They had left him back at the port with Red XII, Tifa and the others. Only Vincent, Cloud, Yuffie and he had come to the cave, and Yuri had only come because he was bored. But it was even more boring here. He sighed, closing his eyes. The sun beat down on his bare chest while cold mist sprinkled and pricked at his skin. He sighed, finally drifting into sleep.

"Hey, Yuri!"

Yuri jerked awake with a yell, almost slipping and falling down the cliff. He looked up with a start, right into the bright, energetic eyes of Yuffie.

"C'mon, we're leaving!" she said. "Cloud said he saw Vincent coming out!"

Yuri sighed, pushing himself to his feet. He straightened his white jacket, brushing off as much dirt as he could. He looked down at it with distaste. There were countless enemies here. It seemed that every step you took lead you right into another battle. And, due to the endless beasts and battles, his jacket was looking more brown than white. He would have to clean it soon, or it'd drive him nuts.

Vincent stepped from the shadows of the cave, breathing heavily. He staggered slightly, clutching his arm. Cloud blinked, stepping forwards to help him, but Vincent shrugged him off. Yuri frowned, wondering what had happened in there. His cloak hid all of his body, and his hair fell in front of his face to shield his eyes. But as he walked forwards and his cape billowed in the wind, he caught a glimpse of the arm Vincent was favoring.

Clawed. Radiating with darkness. Evil.

Yuri started, taking a step back. Vincent had always seemed strange, but…. Was he not human?

"Come on, we have to get to the submarine," Cloud said, leading them down towards the water. "Now that we're all ready, we can finally make it to the crater."

Yuffie groaned, but the others ignored her and her complaints of going back into the submarine.

They all clambered inside, Vincent and Cloud taking the controls. They sank below the surface, steering through the narrow caves and caverns that got them to the hidden waterfall.

They had just reached the main ocean when Yuffie saw something on the radar.

"Guys? What's that?" she said, pointing to the screen. Then she instantly fell back, clutching her stomach with a groan as Vincent took a sharp turn.

"Something we should avoid," Vincent said, steering them far away from the shape. But Cloud shook his head.

"Vincent, it's a WEAPON. What else could be that big?"

Vincent glanced at the screen again.

"We have to take it out. Who knows what damage it could cause before we find it again?"

Vincent was silent, staring at the screen and the shape swimming in circles a distance away. Then, still silent, he steered the submarine towards the WEAPON. Cloud rose from his seat, reaching for the equiptment. He took something out of a small drawer.

"These can give us air for up to thirty minutes," he said, holding up a small mouthpiece. "That should be more than enough to take out the WEAPON. But we only have three."

"You, me, and Yuri will go," Vincent said, not looking away from the radar. Yuffie put her hands on her hips indignantly.

"What about me? I'm not strong enough?" she said angrily.

"Yes," he said bluntly. Yuffie turned red and whirled so she was facing the wall, arms crossed in aggitation.

"Okay," Cloud said, taking the mouthpieces out of the drawer. He turned to Yuri. "You're alright with fighting his thing, right? You should be able to take it."

Yuri nodded. Yuffie had given him one of her ninja stars to try, and he was longing to use it.

The three put the mouthpieces into their mouths, stepping through the hatch and into the water. Below them Yuffie continued to steer the submarine, following them from behind. They swam through the dark water and the cold water made Yuri shuddered, making him wish he had worn more clothing. It wasn't until they were a few feet away that they could see what they were up against.

A deep green, the WEAPON had flat feet and hands, both so large it was half the size of itself. It was enormous, so large even Vincent stood below its knees. Its limbs looked fit to pound anything into the dirt like a sludge hammer. The WEAPON saw them coming, and turned to them with a howl that echod through the water.

Cloud brandished his large sword, charging through the water for the first attack. He cut against the WEAPON's armored leg, but seemed to do more damage to his weapon than the the beast's foot. Vincent twirled his gun, aimed breifly, and shot the WEAPON in the head as Yuri threw Yuffie's ninja star at its chest. Both seemed to do nothing.

Then the WEAPON moved. Gliding through the water, smoothly despite its size, it headed straight for Cloud. Cloud braced, holding up his sword to defend himself.

The attack happened in less than an instant. WEAPON's armored fist clashed straight through his block, pounding him into the ground with such force it threw Vincent and Yuri to the side. They tumbled a few yards through the water, sprawled head over heels.

Yuri shouted in terror through his mouthpeice as WEAPON moved back again, leaving a large crater in the earth and a motionless Cloud in the middle.

"Oh dear Shiva...," Vincent murmured, staring at something above him.

Yuri looked up as two shadows fell upon them, to see WEAPON right above him and Vincent, its feet directly above their heads.

"Holy-" he started, but was cut off as WEAPON came crashing down upon them.

* * *

They stood before the White Witch's army, their horses snorting and shuffling in anticipation. The ten heroes stood in a line before the rest of their army, weapons gripped tightly in their hands and mounted upon their steeds. Sora glanced at the four kids to their left.

"Hey," he whispered to Kairi. "Why does he get the unicorn?"

Everyone turned to face Sora, the tensity leaving the air.

"_Excuse_ me?" Leon asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, I didn't mean…! I just meat that…. He gets a better horse than we do! I didn't mean I wanted to ride a unicorn, I just-" Sora stammered repeatedly, turning bright red.

"Of course that's what you meant," Kairi said, turning back to the army forming before them. She was tense and testy. A war…. She had to fight in a war. The most she had ever done was attack a few heartless. But a real war? And as a leader?

Aerith saw the look in her eyes and smiled softly. "Don't worry, you'll be alright. Just like I have Cloud and Leon, you have Sora and Roxas. Right?"

Kairi met her gaze and smiled in return. "Right," she said, gathering a little more courage. But still butterflies danced in her chest.

Beside them, Peter gave them a glance. Leon nodded.

"Okay, here we go. Ready?"

The group nodded. "Ready."

Peter reared his unicorn up onto its hind legs, its hooves beating at the air. He raised his sword with a shout and charged down the battlefield, his army right behind him.


	12. Awakening

Yuri, Cloud and Vincent stepped onto the shore, thankful that they were finally out of the sea. They were waterlogged and seething with embarrassment. It was hard not to be embarrassed, with Yuffie jumping around, gloating all the while that she had rescued them all, when supposedly "she wasn't strong enough". Struggling to save what was rest of their pride, they made their way back to camp, ignoring all the while the obnoxious chanting from Yuffie as she danced around them.

* * *

That night before Yuri slept, he focused on Riku's dreams, what he had seen the other night. He had been doing it for nights, ever since he learned he could enter Riku's dreams, but so far it hadn't worked. Was he already too late? No, Riku was still breathing. Scarcely, but he was.

This night, however, when he opened his eyes again he was enveloped with darkness. When he looked up, there wasn't a star in the sky. The air was musty and thick, making him feel as if he was being smothered. _This must be it, _he thought.

He stepped across the ground, which was so coated in darkness it felt springy underneath his feet. _Like a cloud. Or a thundercloud. _He felt as if he could fall through the ground at any minute.

He kept wandering, searching the horizon. Where was he? He squinted. Where was Riku?

Finally he saw a flicker of white against the black horizon. Riku's silver hair. He ran forwards, sprinting as fast as his legs would let him. He didn't know how long he would be here. He had to convince Riku before he disappeared.

"Riku!" Yuri shouted, finally reaching him. Riku didn't even glance at him. Yuri followed his gaze, a ledge that cut into the ground they stood on. If the world around them seemed dark, it was nothing compared to how black it was down there. Yuri shuddered.

"Riku, you need to wake up!" Yuri said, turning back to Riku. "You're fading in the real world. You're going to die!"

Riku still didn't look at him. Yuri followed his gaze again, and he felt his heart leap into his throat. He wasn't thinking of…. He wouldn't…. Would he…?

"Riku?"

Silence. That's all there was in this place. He hated it here. He needed to get Riku out of here. "Riku!" he shouted again. _Look at me. Don't look down there. Don't even think about it._

"What if it all just ended right here?" Riku murmured, his voice so quiet that even in this still silence it was almost lost.

"Riku, don't even say that."

"One step. That's all it would take."

Yuri snatched Riku's collar, forcing the boy to face him. Riku's eyes widened slightly, caught by surprise.

"Stop saying that!" Yuri snapped. "You can't just throw your life away like that. Don't be such a coward!"

Riku pressed his lips together as he thought, looking away again. Yuri could see the hesitation in his eyes.

He hit him. Before he could think, Yuri had punched Riku across the face. Riku fell from Yuri's grasp, falling with a grunt on the dark ground. His eyes were wide now as he pushed himself up on one elbow, staring up at Yuri from behind shards of silver hair.

"Stop it!" Yuri yelled so loudly that his voice scratched his throat. "Just stop it! Do you know how lucky you are? Do you know how many people envy you?"

"But…I…," Riku said, diverting his gaze again. Yuri stomped his foot, but on the soft ground it was dulled to a thud.

"Have you noticed what kind of world you live in? _Everybody _has some darkness in their hearts! Everybody's done something bad! Haven't you learned by now that nobody is perfect?"

Riku turned his head down so that his eyes were completely hidden by his hair.

"But you're luckier than anyone else out there. You have friends that are helping you through everything you've been through. Even now, they're out there looking for you. And you're willing to hurt them by ending your life?"

Riku didn't answer.

"If anything, think of Kairi. Think of Sora." Their was pain in his voice now as he struggled to keep from screaming. Crying. Hitting him again. Riku was so stupid. So selfish. "If anything, think of me. I'm not even real without you."

Still Riku was silent. He opened his palm, staring at it hard. Yuri still couldn't see his face, but longed to see what he was thinking. What he was going to do next.

Then, still without a word, Riku looked up at him again. There was a smile on his face. He held out his hand. Yuri smiled in return, overwhelmed with relief. He took Riku's hand, pulling him to his feet.

Riku opened his eyes. Above him was a night sky, dotted with stars. A warm glow surrounded him, a campfire. He felt grass beneath his fingers. Wind on his face.

Beside him, Riku heard someone sit up. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, turning to face Yuri a few feet away. Yuri watched him for a moment, as if making sure he was really there. Then a grin twitched on his face.

"You're here."

Riku let his familiar half-grin spread across his face. "I'm here."

Okay… …as much as I like Riku, he was getting WAY too emo for me on these past few chapters. Secretly, I'm glad someone finally hit him XD


	13. One Winged Angel

Sora, Kairi, and the other charged down the battlefield, meeting the White Witch's army. They had long discarded their horses, handing them to other knights as they raced to follow Peter and the others. Cloud's speed matched Sora's, and the boy watched him out of the corner of his eye. He tried to get ahead, but he couldn't pass Cloud's speed. Suddenly there was a rush of air above them and Yuffie was soaring overhead, waving to them as she flipped ahead of them. She flipped upright again and launched her ninja star across the battlefield, cutting through a knights armor and taking out the first of their enemies. She landed and pumped her fists in triumph, snatching her weapon as it soared back towards her like a boomerang.

There was a shot, and it was so loud and unfamiliar that it made the people of Narnia cringe away. It was Leon with his keyblade, firing away at enemy soldiers as he ran. The shots exploded in the army, knocking them off their feet and causing them to scatter. Sora and Cloud summoned up their power simultaneously, Cloud with his black wing and Sora in his Valor form, they charged with increased speed down the battlefield. Kairi watched them in dismay. Even Aerith was attacking now, using magic to bring bolts of lightning upon beasts' heads.

Kairi clamped down on those thoughts and pushed them away. No. She couldn't think like that. She had to fight. She clutched her short sword in her hand and dashed after the others, doing her best to keep up.

The White Witch watched the battle rage around her, her men and beasts quickly being overrun. Wherever they went they were either being burned by raging flames, shot by strange weapons, there was even one of them flying in the skies, coming down and crushing men with his great sword. She heard rushing footsteps coming towards her. She whirled, her lance at the ready. It was the boy, the one who wielded the two key-swords. She snarled. They were just keys. How were they so powerful?

The boy leapt at her and brought down his weapons, but the Witch deflected them easily and struck him aside with her lance. She drove the icy tip towards him, but the boy rolled to the side and behind her, striking a second time. The White Witch whirled, barely able to deflect his blow in time. This was too difficult. How was this boy so strong?

She heard hoof beats behind her, and within moments Peter was upon them. With a shriek of fury she struck at him, but Peter's mount danced out of the way. She attacked again, realizing she was being mobbed. If anyone else came, she would be overwhelmed. She had to pick them off before they trapped her.

Or…she could call him. The thought hadn't struck her until now. She hadn't thought she would need his help. After all, their army was far smaller than hers, normally she could have taken them all out easily by now. But now, it seemed that she had no choice.

Sora struck at the White Witch again, but stopped short as a ripple ran through the battlefield. The ripple ran through him, shaking his bones and making him falter. What…what was that?

The Witch had a look of sadistic glee on her face. Sora snarled and started to lunge again, but was once again stopped by a feeling of overwhelming magic. But this time, it was familiar. Why was it so familiar?

Sora turned, and found himself looking straight into the eyes of Sephiroth.

"Hello again, keyblade master," Sephiroth said, holding out his sword at arm's length. It was so long that even though he stood a distance away, the tip still grazed Sora's nose. Sora scowled.

"Shall we pick up where we left off?" Sephiroth said, and lunged.

* * *

Cloud and the others walked down the endless steps. Yuri suppressed yet another shudder. This place was cold…. And not only the kind of cold that made him wish he had worn something under his jacket. It was a cold that ate away at his bones, making even his heart cringe. There was something evil in this place…. Even after fighting JENOVA, there was still something here. Something worse. He felt it. His gaze shifted to Riku, and he searched for his eyes to see what he was thinking. His eyes were almost completely hidden, but he could tell by how he was looking around that he felt something, too.

"Cloud," Tifa murmured. Cloud nodded, not looking back at her.

"Yeah. I feel it too."

"What is that?" Yuri asked, looking around him as he clamped his hands around his arms for warmth.

"Sephiroth," Red XIII replied darkly.

The word had barely left his mouth when there was a brilliant flash, blinding all of them. They cringed away, scrunching their eyes shut and shielding their faces with their hands. The evil energy around them grew and grew until it was almost enough to force Yuri to his knees.

"Ah…what…what?" Tifa said, also almost on her knees. Cloud did what he could to hold her up.

"Sephiroth!" he shouted at the top of his voice, so loud it made Yuri's own throat hurt. "Sephiroth! Show yourself!"

The flashing subsided, and before them stood a man clad in black, his long coat almost reaching to his feet. His hair was silver and reached to his waist, and in his hand was an immensely large sword.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted again, brandishing his own sword. A smirk crossed Sephiroth's face, but he said nothing.

With a roar Cloud charged, bringing his sword down onto Sephiroth's head.

* * *

"Sora!" Kairi cried, running up to him. Sora gritted his teeth, pushing himself up with his keyblade. When he heard Kairi's voice, he whirled in alarm.

"Kairi!" he shouted. "Get out of here!"

He heard Sephiroth laugh. He stepped forwards, undaunted despite the wounds and bruises he bore because of Sora's attacks. "Don't think numbers will help you," he said, taking another step forwards. Kairi frowned determinedly, grasping her sword in both hands. Sephiroth laughed again.

"You've got spirit. But that won't be enough to help you win this," he said, and lunged.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, leaping forwards. He knocked aside Sephiroth's blow just before it hit Kairi, but Sephiroth didn't even pause. Whirling he lashed his sword in a circle, throwing both Sora and Kairi back and off of their feet.

They fell hard on their backs, Sora forcing himself to his feet. "Kairi, he's too strong for you. Get out of here where it's safe!"

"Look around you, Sora," Kairi said, stepping beside him and still clutching her sword. "We're in a war. There is no safe. So I'm staying here to help you!"

"Kairi…," Sora started, but didn't get a chance to finish. Just then Sephiroth lunged again, barely giving Sora time to block his attack. But Sephiroth just leapt past, lashing out with his sword from behind. Sora cried out and stumbled forwards, falling to his knees. He was stronger….

He heard a clash of steel and a shriek. "Kairi!" Sora shouted, whirling. Kairi stumbled back, easily overcome despite her effort to block Sephiroth's attacks.

"Leave her alone, Sephiroth!" Sora yelled, trying to grasp Sephiroth's attention. "I'm the one with the keyblade. I'm the one you want!"

Sephiroth glanced over at him from under his long, silver bangs. "True," he said, straightening. He lashed out with his sword again, throwing Kairi off of her feet. It pointed at Sora's face again, and the familiar smirk crossed Sephiroth's face.

With lightning speed Sephiroth sprang forwards, his sword drawn back to strike. Sora leapt into the air, his Valor form flinging him twice as high as he usually could jump. Sephiroth flew harmlessly behind. Sora landed, bringing his keyblades up to block Sephiroth's second attack, just like he knew would come. Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly in shock, but only for a split second. Then his smirk was back, along with his flurry of blows. They barraged continuously, forcing Sora to put all of his strength into his keyblades to keep from loosing his defense. Sephiroth paused, his sword clenched tightly in one hand. He laughed again, a single, smug laugh that made Sora scowl. But this time, instead of an attack, he raised his hand above his head. Sora started, whirled to run, but it was too late.

A column of fire burst around them, and Sora let out a cry of agony. Kairi screamed, running up to him. But the heat was too intense, and she couldn't even get close to the eruption.

When the flames subsided, Sora was on one knee, barely holding himself up with one of his keyblades. Sephiroth stood before him, a triumphant grin spread across his face. He brought up his sword, ready to cut Sora down.

But Kairi leapt between them, bringing up her arms to defend herself. "Stop!" she cried. "I won't let you kill him!"

Sephiroth grinned. It didn't matter how noble her efforts were. She was still nothing but human. He would cut them both down in a single blow. Gathering his strength, he swung the blade down.

There was a flash, and Sephiroth was stumbling back, his sword knocked aside. He looked up, eyes wide in shock. The girl still stood, braced for the attack, but in her hand was a keyblade.

"There's two?" Sephiroth murmured, staring at them in surprise. Then his surprise turned to triumph. Double the prize. He readied to attack again.

"Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth paused. That voice…. Slowly, he turned to stare into the eyes of a furious Cloud.

* * *

Riku ran forwards, darting around bursts of magic and flying weapons. He clutched the Way to the Dawn ((can never remember that stupid sword's name….)) in his hands, charging towards the ever-transforming Sephiroth. A gunshot went off overhead, striking the mutated Sephiroth across the chest. But the creature barely even flinched. Riku braced, fused his sword with dark magic, and leapt forwards with a yell. The blade struck Sephiroth in the shoulder, dark magic coursing across his body. Sephiroth hissed through clenched teeth, turning his gaze to Riku. Riku leapt back and sprang out of the way just before a burst of magic overcame him.

"He's so strong!" Yuri cried over the sounds of battle, running up beside Riku. "How do we know if we're weakening him?"

"We just have to hope," Red XIII said, charging past him as he prepared for another attack. Yuri took another final gulp of air, twirled Cloud's Buster Sword in his hands, and started forwards for another attack. But just then Sephiroth let out a shout, his head turned up towards the sky. There was a flash, another great flash, and then he was gone.

There was silence for a long time in the group. The only sound was the ragged breathing of the warriors as they struggled to catch their breath.

"This is all we can do," Cloud said finally, pushing himself upright.

"Wait!" Barret snapped. "What about Holy? What's gonna happen to the Planet?"

Cloud sighed, looking up at the sky. "That...I don't know. Isn't the rest up to the Planet?"

Tifa nodded, following his gaze. "…You're right. We've done all that we could do."

Cloud nodded, turning towards the others. "All right, everyone. We did our best. That's it. Let's go home proud."

They made their way up the long staircase, up to the top of the Crater. But all the while, Yuri couldn't help but to feel uneasy. Something didn't seem right….

The others made their way out of the Crater, but Cloud stopped just at the edge. He paused, looking down towards the bottom again. Tifa, Riku and Yuri stopped, watching him.

"What?" Tifa asked, still watching him.

Cloud was silent for a moment. "…I feel it…."

"What…?"

"He is…still here."

Now Riku felt it, too. It was as if a wind was blowing through the Crater, blowing through his bones. He shuddered. Tifa's gaze moved from Cloud to Riku, and back to Cloud again.

"Still…," Cloud was murmuring, his face turned towards the ground. His hands were shaking.

"Cloud?!" Tifa cried, growing worried. Something was wrong. What was wrong with Cloud? What was going on?

Another breeze ran through them, and this time Riku failed to stifle a gasp and collapsed to his knees, his arms wrapped around himself.

"Riku!" Yuri cried, but faltered. His hand clutched his chest as pain ran though him. Mako…. The energy was overwhelming.

"He's…he's…," Riku stammered, arms still clutching himself so tightly it was as if he felt he'd fall apart if he let go.

"He's laughing…," Cloud whispered just before the three collapsed.

* * *

Sephiroth and Cloud moved so fast the only time you could see them was when they collided, striking each other in midair. Sora and Kairi watched from below, both in awe and horror. They hated each other so much. They could see it in their eyes. Sora swallowed. He had fought both Cloud and Sephiroth before, but they had never been this strong. If he faced Sephiroth, or even Cloud again, would he be able to defeat them?

Suddenly Sephiroth faltered, dropping and falling to the ground. He landed, bending his knees up to his chest to weaken the shock of the landing. He clutched his heart, staring vacantly at the ground. Scenes flashed before his eyes. Cloud…. The old Cloud. He was charging him…. Omnislash. One strike. Another. Another. With every flash Cloud cut him again, and with every slash Sephiroth felt pain sear through his chest. He cringed, his fingers digging into his skin. Something was wrong. He felt like he was…fading. He…he had to get out of here.

He heard a thud, and the real Cloud was standing before him. He pointed his sword towards Sephiroth's face, his eyes grim and unforgiving. Sephiroth snarled, snatched his sword, and leapt back far out of harms way. He whirled, running across the battlefield and out of sight.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted, charging after him and disappearing from the battlefield.


	14. Reunited

Riku jerked with a sharp breath, his eyes flying open. His face was pressed against cool stone, and he could smell smoke, dirt, decay. Pushing himself up with his hands he looked around him, almost instantly recognizing the Hollow Bastion. He heard movement beside him and turned to see Yuri, stirring as he regained consciousness.

"Ung…," Yuri groaned as he massaged his temples with a hand. "What happened?"

Riku pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his sleeves. "Sephiroth's energy…. It must have reacted to the Mako inside of us." Riku put a hand to his heart, digging his claws into his shirt as he struggled to smother the cold feeling that was eating away at his chest. "I don't know how long it's been since we fell through that Mako…or how long until our body can fight it off. But until then, we're probably vulnerable to such powerful energy."

"But that doesn't explain how we got here, or even where we were," Yuri pointed out. Riku shot him a sharp glance.

"I wasn't even conscious for most of that trip. If anyone should know where we were, it should be you." Riku looked up towards the ruins of the city, thoughtful. "Although," he added, "I do remember hearing something from Sora about Cloud's past, and that was similar…. Do you think we were sent back in time? Or into someone's memories?"

"Makes more sense than anything I can think up," Yuri murmured, pushing himself to his feet. "Where are we now? Back at the Hollow Bastion?"

Riku nodded. But suddenly a thought hit him that made him tense. Yuri saw him flinch and looked towards him.

"What?" he asked.

"If that was the past, then…," Riku murmured. "What if…our being there was something that messed up Cloud in the future?"

Yuri started. "Sephiroth…. Do you think Cloud defeated Sephiroth? Or maybe one of the others died?"

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe Cloud isn't emo anymore," Riku said, looking over his shoulder. "But I didn't think of that. But you don't think our influence could have destroyed Cloud's past, could it?"

Yuri and Riku looked at each other for a long moment, silent. Then they took off at once, charging towards the building where the group was always working, trying to fight off the darkness. There was only one way to find out.

* * *

"Kairi, are you alright?"

Kairi looked up at Sora, catching her breath. "Yeah, I'm alright. But I should be asking you, you're the one who's hurt so badly."

"This? This is nothing," Sora said with his trademark smile. It always made Kairi feel better. She couldn't help but to grin back. Allowing Sora to pull her to her feet, she picked up her Keyblade.

"It's so quiet all of the sudden," she said. "It sounds like the battle is dying down."

Sora nodded. "We'd better go check it out," he said. He was almost worried for what he would find. They'd been away from the battlefield from a long time. Who was left standing?

But when they stepped from behind the rocks that blocked them from the rest of the battle, Sora gave a sigh of relief. Of course he shouldn't have worried. Leon, Yuffie and Aerith stood amongst the mass of bodies, the corpses beast and man and everything in between. But their attention was all turned towards one figure, who stood before them all with his sword dripping with crimson blood.

Peter, his sword pointed at a body at his feet, struggled to catch his breath. The White Witch lay before him, motionless. Cheering had filled the air, so loud that it was deafening. The people of Narnia were clapping, shouting, dancing and laughing with each other. Sora and Kairi ran to meet with the others.

"Hey!" he shouted, waving his hand high above his head to get their attention as he raced towards them. The cheering was making his spirits soar. He couldn't help it. They had saved another world. Another thousand lives. How couldn't he be happy?

_You're so corny, Sora._

Sora stopped short, a sour look crossing his face. "What are you talking about, Roxas?"

_We saved another world! Another thousand lives! Yay for the goat and horse people! _Roxas mocked in Sora's mind. _Come on, don't get all emotional on me, okay? _But Sora felt Roxas' feeling as well, deep inside him. Roxas was happy as well, glad to be the infamous Keyblade Master. Bringer of light.

_You're doing it again._

"Shut up."

"Well that's a nice congratulations," Yuffie said, dancing over to him. She twirled her ninja star over her head triumphantly. "You shouldn't talk that way, Sora. Not after all that's happened!"

Sora blinked. "What happened?"

"Did you guys defeat the White Witch?" Kairi asked, finally catching up to them. Leon shook his head.

"Nope."

"But…I see her. She's dead," Sora said, waving a hand towards the still motionless White Witch. A thought hit him. "Unless…."

Aerith nodded. "Uh huh," she said with a smile, cocking her head to the side angelically. "Peter did it himself. It seems that he's the real hero in this story."

"Every world has its heroes," a deep voice said. They all turned to see Aslan, making his way up to them. He looked as proud and unruffled as ever. "And every world has to choose them on their own. It chooses what they think is right for its people, its cities, its existence. And in this case, that would be Peter and his siblings."

Sora nodded, casting a glance towards Peter, who was running to meet his brother and sisters. How could he be second to him? Peter didn't know anything about fighting only two days ago. But Narnia had chosen _him _as its hero?

Aslan seemed to know what he was thinking. "That doesn't mean that you're not a hero. It doesn't mean that all of you aren't heroes. It just means that Narnia knows what's best for Narnia." He turned to Leon, Yuffie and Aerith. "You're doing your best to restore your home." He turned to Kairi. "You're doing what you can to help your friends. And finally, you," he said, looking at Sora. "You're doing the most important of all. You're trying to dispel darkness from our worlds. If you all have such important tasks, how can you expect to protect Narnia at the same time?"

Leon nodded. "I suppose that's right. Peter and the others is what's best for this world."

Aslan nodded. "That's right. But that doesn't mean that they're perfect. Their adventures, their battles, along with the help of Narnia will help to shape them into heroes. Just as your worlds and friends help to shape you."

* * *

Riku burst through the door. "Spazy! Flower girl! Emo! Are you here?" he shouted, running through the small house. Yuri followed him through the door, eyebrow raised. Spazy?

"It doesn't look like they're here," Yuri said, following Riku with his eyes. Riku darted over to a book that lay on a pedestal, opening it up and peering inside its pages. This time both of Yuri's eyebrows went up.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought maybe they went into the book."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind," Riku said, closing it and turning around. "You're right. They aren't here."

"You don't think we messed up the future, do you?" Yuri said, a troubled look crossing his face.

"I don't know," Riku started to say. But he was cut off as he heard a rippling, tearing, distorted noise. He tensed, whirling towards the sound to see a portal appearing in the room.

"Nobodies," he hissed.

* * *

_I thought that guy would _never _stop talking!_

"Roxas!"

_What? According to him, we're on important missions. So why doesn't he let us get back to them? _

"He's just anxious, Sora," Kairi said as they walked to the Gummi Ship, knowing well enough what was Roxas was saying. "You promised him that you'd help him find Axel, remember?"

Sora nodded. "But Riku comes first. It's his fault that he got lost out in those worlds in the first place."

_Hey, I didn't want to bring him. Blame Namine._

"Uh oh," Leon murmured.

"What?" Sora asked, barely managing to catch himself before he ran strait into Leon, who had stopped abruptly in front of him. He peered around him, and felt his heart sink.

The Gummi Ship was ground into the dirt, right where they had left it. Sora groaned. He had forgotten. When Yuffie, Leon, Aerith and Cloud had landed, they hadn't done a very good job.

"How are we getting back now?" Yuffie asked.

Leon thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up for a split second as a thought hit him. Turning, he nodded towards Sora and Kairi. "Them," he said. Sora scowled.

"What? We don't know how to fix a Gummi Ship!" he cried. But Leon shook his head.

"Not you. Roxas and Namine."

Kairi was the first to understand. "Oh! They can use portals to get us back to Hollow Bastion!" Leon nodded.

Seconds later Roxas was stretching, aching after being inside Sora for so long, and Namine was dusting off her dress.

"Okay, to Hollow Bastion?" Roxas asked, stretching his arm. Leon nodded. Roxas glanced towards Namine, gave her a nod, and the two used their powers to make a portal big enough for all of them to fit through. Yuffie skipped in first, and Roxas held it open so Namine could step through.

"Are you coming, Aerith?" Leon asked, motioning towards the portal. But Aerith was staring in the opposite direction, scanning the horizon.

"Cloud…. Where did he go?" she asked. Leon sighed, dropping his hand to his side.

"This is Cloud you're talking about, Aerith," he said gently. "I thought you of all people would know he would take this opportunity to disappear. Especially after Sephiroth showed up."

"Yes, but…."

"Come on, Aerith. He'll show up. He always does." And with that he stepped through the portal into Hollow Bastion.

Aerith hesitated for a moment. "Cloud…," she whispered. "Gone again? When will you come back this time?" And then she turned, walking into the portal and disappearing. Roxas gave the horizon a final glance, and finally he, too, stepped inside.

* * *

When Sora opened his eyes, he was in Merlin's house. He blinked. Already? Why had Roxas disapeared so soon?

_Okay, Sora. I finished my part of the deal. Now it's your turn._

"Your part? What are you…?" he started, but was cut off as he was smothered by a headlock. He choked, struggling and kicking as he tried to get out of his captor's grasp. "Riku! Lemme go!"

"That's the greeting I get? After all I've done to try to find you?"

Sora laughed, finally managing to worm free of Riku's hold. He turned, ruffling his hair back into place. "I'm glad we found you, Riku," he said, his famous grin crossing his face. Riku smirked back.

"Yeah, but you've got some explaining to do."

"You should talk! What were you doing just jumping into random portals like that? Didn't you learn from the last time?" Sora mocked. But as soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it. Biting his tongue, he was nearly smothered by the silence that followed. Riku did his best to ignore it and forced a smile.

"Well…this time was different," he said, his grin still plastered on his face. He turned, motioning towards a boy that stood in the corner, searching awkwardly from face to face. "Sora, this…," he trailed off, but found his voice again. "This is Yuri. My Nobody."


	15. His Heartless

Omg… …I posted this in a hurry, just to get one out, and I realized not only did I put a bunch of typoes in, but _it's not finished yet!_ I was going to edit the name of the tower in there, and highlighted it on my copy so I'd remember to come back and put it in…. Guess it didn't work. Gawd that must have been confusing to a lot of people!! So I appologize to everyone who read it and was confused, here's the edited version.

o.o

"So, you really are Riku's Nobody?" Kairi asked after Riku's explanation. Yuri nodded.

"Yeah," he said. His voice sounded uncertain, and Riku shot him a glance. He was nervous. He wasn't sure what Sora and Kairi would think of him.

Sora seemed to notice what Yuri was feeling as well. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Yuri," he said, sticking out his hand to shake and allowing his usual dorky smile to cross his face.

Yuri watched him for a moment, gave half a smile, and took Sora's hand.

"So where's Emo?" Riku asked, looking around the room for him. "He didn't come back with you?"

"No, Cloud disappeared after his fight with Sephiroth," Leon said.

_So _that's _who "Emo" is, _thought Yuri. _And "Flower Girl" is Aerith, so "Spazy" must be…._

"Hey! You guys!" Yuffie shouted, waving her arms frantically. "Look over here!"

They all turned to face her. Yuffie was staring at the computer screen, reading a page that was open. "Cloud must have left this for us!"

They made their way to the computer screen, crowding around to see what Cloud had left them. When Sora saw the first few words, he stopped short with a gasp.

_How to recover lost souls._

"Is this…?" Aerith stammered. "Is this what I think it is?"

"How to recover souls lost to darkness…," Kairi read aloud. "Does this mean people that became heartless?"

"Axel!" Roxas shouted, pushing towards everyone and getting as close to the screen as he could get to read. Yuri jumped.

"Who are you? How'd you…?!" he yelped, but everyone ignored him.

"This is how to get Axel back!" Roxas was saying. He sounded so eager and excited that Kairi couldn't help but to smile.

"It says here that they're locked up, away from the underworld with the rest of the souls," Leon read. He scanned some more. "In a tower called Pharos."

"Pharos Tower? Where's that?" Roxas asked, frowning as he scanned the page as if looking for a map. Riku turned to Yuri.

"Yuri, what Rei was looking for…. Do you think it was the tower?"

Yuri thought for a moment. "It must have been." Riku nodded.

"Then we'd better start at Castle Oblivion. Xemnas' books probably have something that can help us."

They stepped from the portal and into the white, silent halls of Castle Oblivion. Riku, Yuri, Kairi and Roxas scanned the blank, cold, white walls, lined with countless doors.

"Now what?" Yuri said abruptly, breaking the silence.

Nobody answered for a moment.

"We should probably try to find Xemnas' library, right?" Kairi suggested. Riku nodded.

"So, Roxas, where's the library?"

"Uh…."

Riku sighed. "You don't know, do you?"

"Nobody knows how to find anything here! Xigbar was number two, and he still got lost in this place!"

"Alright," Kairi cut in, stopping an argument. "We'll just have to split up. Riku, Yuri, you go that way. We'll go this way." Kairi said, jerking a finger in each direction in turn to get everyone moving.

Riku and Yuri nodded, and set off down the seemingly endless hall.

"Should we warn them about Rei?" Yuri asked Riku, casting a glance over his shoulder at Roxas and Kairi, who were disappearing through a doorway. Riku shook his head.

"That guy has to be out of this place already. Why would he stay here that long? I doubt even he is that desperate."

"Think again," a voice said beside them.

Roxas and Kairi pushed open yet another door.

"This place is endless," Kairi whined, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. How could anyone stand living in this place?

"Here it is!" Roxas said suddenly, running into the room. Kairi started, looking up at him. But when she saw the room, she frowned.

It was empty. There was nothing in there at all, not even an empty bookshelf.

"But…there's nothing here," she said, stepping into the room. It was large enough to be a library. In fact, it was larger than a library she'd seen in anywhere before, probably bigger than the one on Destiny Islands. But that didn't change the fact that it was empty.

"That's because Xemnas is smart enough to not leave his books just lying around," Roxas explained. "He has some special books in here. If any of them fell into the wrong hands, we could have a problem."

"And Xemnas wasn't considered the 'wrong hands'?" Kairi asked, raising an eyebrow. Roxas shrugged.

"True."

Roxas held out his hand, magic gathering into his palm. He knelt, and Kairi noticed a small grove in the floor that she hadn't seen before. More magic teased at Roxas' hands, and the ball of black grew bigger and bigger. All of the sudden Roxas clenched his fist around the sphere, and it condensed into a small, hard ball of black magic. Then he placed his palm over the grove, put his left hand on top of his right for extra strength, and slammed his fists as hard as he could against the floor.

Magic shot into the floor, following even more groves that Kairi hadn't noticed before. The magic flew through the trails in the floor, crawling and darting across the white stone. It shot up the walls, weaving like a scarred spider's web as it danced across every surface in the slowly darkening room. Finally they all turned, gathering towards the same point in the center of the ceiling. They met with a clash, the black magic giving a single flash as they collided. Kairi stepped back, sheilding her eyes. When she opened again, she started.

All along the walls there were bookshelves, crammed full of books. Tables sat on the floor, covered with papers and dictionaries that had been left open. Elegant red chairs sat before desks, against the walls, in front of the window.

"Wow," Kairi whispered, looking around her. "This is amazing."

Roxas nodded. "So many of the Organization members loved it here that they had to keep on making it bigger and bigger. It probably would have gotten larger if they hadn't…you know."

"What are we looking for?" Kairi asked, scanning the bookshelves.

"Anything about the Pharos Tower, and anything about Heartless."

Kairi nodded as she looked down the wall at the mountain of books before her. They had a lot to go through.

Riku's foosteps pounded against the floor, reaching his ears tenfold as they echoed across the halls.

"I thought you said he left!" Yuri shouted at him.

"I was wrong!" Riku snapped.

There was a flash of black and Rei was landing in front of them, his crecent-shaped blades in his hands. "I didn't think you two were stupid enough to come back here," he said with a grin.

Riku and Yuri skidded to a stop, barely managing to change directions in time to avoid Rei's attack. Riku flinched as he felt the wind of the blow brush by his back.

"That was some stunt you pulled," Rei continued, running after them. He was catching up fast. Riku grabbed Yuri by the back of his shirt and threw himself and Yuri to the ground just in time to dodge another of Rei's attacks.

"Dissapearing from that room, into that Mako," Rei said, turning to face him. "Really risky, don't you think?"

Riku pushed himself to his feet, anger growing inside of him. Rei was just mocking them now. And he was sick of it. Lashing out with his hand he called his Way to the Dawn, feeling it materialize underneath his fingers. He felt magic grow behind him as Yuri summoned as much power as he could muster. Rei laughed.

"Finally deciding to fight back, eh?" he teased.

The two boys didn't reply. Yuri lashed out with magic, but Rei effortlessly struck it aside. But when the darkness cleared, his eyes widened. He brought up his arm just in time to block Riku's blow. Rei stumbled back, clutching his bleeding arm. There was fury in his eyes. He wasn't going to lose to these two. He wasn't going to be fooled again. With a roar he leapt, his blades flying for Riku's throat.

Kairi started. "Roxas? Do you hear something?"

Sora nodded, looking up from the bookshelf where he had been searching. Roxas had called him out earlier, getting a headache from searching so much. "Yeah." His gaze turned towards the doorway. "What's going on out there?"

Clashing filled the hallway as Riku and Rei attacked each other, strike after strike, parry after parry. It was a flurry of blows, the steel of their weapons nothing but blurs. Rei's lip curled. This was different than last time. They were better. They knew what to expect, and knew how to fight him. He snarled. He wouldn't lose. He brought up his knee, striking Riku in the gut. Riku choked, stumbling back. He was thrown off his feet as Rei kicked him in the chest, knocking him into the wall behind him. Riku coughed, struggling to catch his breath as his grip tightened on the hilt of his Keyblade.

"Riku!" he heard someone shout. He looked up, surprised.

"Kairi?" he murmured, seeing her running towards them, Sora right beside her. He heard footsteps running towards him and he whirled, bringing up his keyblade just in time to block Rei's blow. Rei snarled again, forcing more power into his attack, his blade getting closer and closer to Riku's face. But he was thrown aside as Yuri leapt into him, sending him sprawling across the white floor.

Rei started to get up, but stopped short when he felt a Keyblade to his throat. He froze, looking up to see Sora staring down at him.

"Don't move," he ordered, Fenrir in hand.

Yuri finished tying Rei's hands behind his back. "So what do we do with him now?"

Kairi shrugged. "I don't know. We should definitely keep him in sight, though."

Rei spat at her feet. His head snapped forwards as Riku kicked him, making him flinch.

"You aren't in a position to be cocky," Riku snapped. "So you just shut up." It wasn't until then that he saw the expression on Sora's face. He looked up in curiosity. "What, Sora?"

Sora's face was twisted in an expression that Riku couldn't recconize. His hand was clutching his shirt, his fingers digging into his chest, as if he was clutching his heart in pain.

"I…I don't know," Sora stammered. "I think it's…Roxas."

"What's wrong with Roxas?" Yuri asked, frowning.

Sora closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Roxas was staring down at Rei, his eyes wide with the same expression Sora's eyes had had.

"Rei…," he murmured, his eyes searching Rei's face in disbelief. "I…I'm feeling Axel. Rei is Axel's Heartless."


	16. Old Geezer's Riddles

You'd think I would have learned my lesson, but nope! XD After last chapter's incident coughlookbackcough... I'm still going to post a chapter without reviewing it a few times first. But I just want to get past this boring part, so deal with it. .>

* * *

"So then what are we going to do?" Sora asked in a hushed tone. They had forced Roxas out of the conversation, since none of his words were making sense. Kairi said that he was just disbelieving and excited that they had finally found Axel, but Riku said that he was just being annoying.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Yuri replied. "We have to bring him."

"He may know something we don't," Kairi put in. "He is a Heartless after all."

Riku nodded. "Yeah. But how do we get him to agree with us?"

The four rose from where they were whispering, and turned in unison to face the still bound Rei. He didn't turn to look at them, but shot them all glares through the corners of his eyes.

"This…could be hard," Yuri murmured.

* * *

"So you want me to help you find those lost souls," Rei asked, looking up at them as proudly as he could, despite the fact that he was bound, beaten and was forced to look up at the four that refused to sit down.

"If you help us, then you'll have your heart again," Kairi said for what seemed to be the fifteenth time. Rei was stubborn, and didn't seem to be interested. Isn't that what he was looking for?

"But it seems like you don't need my help," Rei said, looking up at him cleverly. "Why the sudden need for me to come with you?"

"Because…we know your Nobody," Sora said, trying his best to choose the right words. Apparently, those weren't them.

"Nobodies," Rei snarled. "Why should I do anything to help them? It's because of them that we're torn apart like this! Every day we Heartless live through life like lifeless puppets! No happiness, no anger, no sorrow…."

"We live life just the same," Yuri retorted, no longer able to hold his tongue. He was tired of his Heartless scolding them as if Nobodies _wanted _this. Like they _wanted _to be torn apart and left as only half-beings, not even human. "We want to be whole just as much as you do. So just learn to-!"

But Yuri was cut off as Rei lunged, his fingers closing around his throat. He sneered.

"You didn't think those ropes could hold me, did you? Just because your powers are weak, that doesn't mean mine are," Rei jeered as he stared into Yuri's wide, shocked eyes. Yuri choked, clawing at Rei's hands, trying to pry open his fingers. But Rei's grip was too strong, and all he did was hold on tighter, forcing out a strangled yell from his captive. Sora and Riku sprang into action, their Keyblades instantly in their hands and crossed against Rei's throat. But Rei only laughed.

"If I remember right, _you're _the one who needs _me_, not the other way around. So I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"We're not about to let you kill our friend," Sora said, scowling. Rei just laughed again.

"Ah, so you'll kill me instead, and lose all hopes of you seeing my Nobody side again, will you?" he replied arrogantly.

Sora clenched his jaw, his mind racing so fast you could almost see his mind working. But it was Riku who spoke first.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"I want this Nobody dead," Rei replied simply, squeezing harder around Yuri's neck. Yuri gave another yell, his attempts at freeing himself already becoming weaker.

"What's your problem?!" Kairi shouted finally, so loudly it was only a scream. "You're going to get your heart back! Isn't that what you've wanted all this time? What else could you possibly want?!"

Rei hesitated, staring at her for a moment. When he answered, all arrogance was gone in his voice. "I want my emotions back," he said finally. "My feelings. My memories. Everything. I hate living every day, not knowing what it is to be sad, to be angry, or to feel joy. I just want to feel that, even if only once."

"But when you have your heart back, all your emotions will come back too," Sora said. Rei turned to look at him.

"And you can promise me that? You can promise to me that with my heart will come everything that I've lost?"

Sora gave a nod, a determined look in his eye.

Rei stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine." He released his grip and Yuri fell, sprawling upon the white, slick floor, coughing and gasping for breath. Riku hurried over, making sure he was alright. "I'll help you. But I've learned not to take anything for granted anymore. And even you can't predict the future."

* * *

"This way," Rei said, leading them down yet another hallway. Yuri leaned towards Riku, who was helping him down the corridor, whispering so Rei wouldn't hear.

"You're sure we should trust him? How do we know he isn't leading us into a trap or something?"

Riku snorted. "You're just mad because he almost killed you," he retorted. Yuri scowled.

"Here we are," Rei said, almost to himself as he pushed open a door. "There was a book I found in here. I couldn't figure it out alone, but with that new stuff you found out about the tower, you might understand it."

Riku and Yuri recognized the place instantly as Ansem's office, where Rei had captured them before. Kairi walked up to the bookshelves, scanning them.

"Which one?" she asked, amazed by the size of the bookcase. How much did Organization XIII read, anyways?

"This one," Rei said, pulling one of the older looking books off of a higher shelf. He lifted it off gingery, to keep from ripping the cover, but promptly dropped it onto the desk with a heavy thud. "Do what you want with it, and good luck," he said, sitting back in Ansem's chair and closing his eyes, not saying another word.

"We'll look it over," Roxas volunteered, taking control of Sora again. "Me and Namine should understand more, since we're both Nobodies. We'll tell you if we find anything."

* * *

Namine reclined in one of the chairs, staring up at the ceiling with sleepy eyes. "It's like reading a history text book," she murmured, as if in a daze. "In one ear and out the other."

Roxas' frown deepened as he forced his eyes to concentrate, scanning the pages. He wasn't understanding a word, either. He'd noticed something about old guys – they could never just tell you what you wanted to know, they just gave you riddles. The words were a jumbled mess, making no sense at all. But he couldn't bring himself to stop.

"Roxas," Namine said, looking over at him. "You can't keep reading that all night. Everyone went to sleep already. You'll just end up getting stressed if you push yourself too hard."

"It's okay," Roxas replied, though he was barely listening. "I'll just read for a little longer."

Namine sighed. "Okay, let me help," she said, leaning over. But Roxas shook his head, holding the large book away.

"No, you get some sleep, Namine. You look like you're about to collapse. I'll be over there in a minute, don't worry. I won't stay up all night."

Namine gave him a hesitant look, checking to see if he was sure, and he nodded. "It's alright, I'm not all that tired anyway," he said, instantly having to stifle a yawn. Namine smiled to herself as she saw him trying to convince her, and finally agreed to go. She walked over to where the others were sleeping, sprawled in the more comfortable chairs. Rei was snoring loudly, his mouth wide open, his feet propped up on one of the fancy tables.

Roxas watched them for a moment until Namine settled, then turned back to his book. But already his eyes were starting to close. The words were jumping out at him, stabbing his eyeballs, making it hard to focus on the page. He rubbed his eyes, trying to chase away the sleep. But when he opened them again his eyelids only drooped lower. He groaned to himself. Stupid old geezers…. Why didn't they just write stuff in plain English?

* * *

He stood amongst the ruins, darkness eating at every stone, every piece of rubble. Roxas made his way through the chaos, though all that was left of the horror was destruction. He clenched his fists at his side. He didn't like it here…. It made him feel like all those months ago. When he hadn't had a heart. When he had been nothing….

"C'mon, Roxas."

Roxas whirled, facing the sound. A figure strode towards him with such a confident air around him it made him seem arrogant. But there was something about him. He looked real enough, but…. He wasn't. That was the only way to put it.

The figure strode past, not even glancing in Roxas' direction. He made his way easily through the rubble, not even stumbling on the ground that shifted underneath his feet. "You must be slipping. It must be having a heart, you've lost some of that Nobody common sense," he said, turning to look over his shoulder, shooting him a clever grin. Roxas blinked, but he couldn't summon a voice. The figure didn't seem to care, he just carried on.

"You're looking for souls, right? But not just any kind of souls, it seems."

Roxas frowned to himself. Great. Avoiding the subject again. Next think you know he'd be talking in riddles. He looked down a the ground at the encroaching darkness, and his skin crawled. The figure saw his expression.

"You still haven't gotten it, huh? Fine then, I'll spell it out for you. How were these souls lost?"

Roxas frowned, thinking. _Souls lost to…darkness. _His eyes widened. The figure grinned.

"Right. Ever wonder why nobody else could get this far? That's because they didn't have the power of darkness at their command. All you need is a portal, and you'll find the way. But it's not going to be that easy, you know."

Roxas blinked, and the figure sighed, obviously tired of having to explain so much.

"What can you find in every heart?" he asked, arms crossed as he looked down at him, eyebrow raised.

Roxas still didn't respond, unable.

"In every heart there's light. But behind that light, there's always darkness. No matter how hard you try, you can't hide that fact. _But_," the figure said, holding up a finger, "you guys always seem to be missing one little detail. In every heart, there's _life_. Got it memorized? It's what makes us all human. Well, you know what I mean," he added with a shrug and a smirk.

Light, dark, and life? But what did that have to do with anything?

"You'll figure it out, eventually," the figure said, knowing what he was thinking, turning away again. "Just don't forget, or you'll regret it. But you'd better get back, this place'll be completely gone soon. You wouldn't want to get stuck in the darkness again, would you?" he said, shooting a grin over his shoulder. But he stopped. "Oh, one last thing before you go. Do you want to know the reason why no Nobodies ever got this far before?"

Roxas looked up, and his eyes opened wide. In the darkness behind him two red, glowing eyes peirced the black. They focused on him, intimidating and bloodthirsty. It made his skin crawl, a chill racing up his spine.

"Because," the figure said, his tone suddenly dark, "the guardians refuse to let go of their treasure."

* * *

Note: This last section, not only am I not very proud of it (writers block…it sucks, so I faked through a way to get the truth through Roxas' thick skull XD gets murdered by fangirls) but I want to make something clear: I wasn't trying to hide the fact that "the figure" was Axel. I mean, come on. If someone didn't pick that up already, _shame on you_. It was just meant to be like a dream, you know, where everythings like _"Oh, hey, there's one of my best friends that died protecting me, what was his name again? Hmm...hat did he look like? Oh, and, uh, where am I? Meh, whatever. _It's like being in Wonderland but…you don't care. w/e. Just thought I'd point that out. Oh, and by the way, I think it's _really _sad if the author of a fanfic has to explain one of her chapters to the audience. Not usually a good sign. 


	17. First of the Guardians

"Axel!" Roxas shouted as he jerked from his sleep. There was a loud thud as Riku, who had been sleeping slouched in his chair and feet on another, jumped from the sudden noise and fell on his butt.

"What?" Namine asked sleepily, pushing herself up to face the wide awake Roxas. Riku pushed himself off of the floor, rubbing his head where it had hit a table, a bloodthirsty vengeance gleaming in his eyes. Yuri held him back, much more awake than the others. He had been told to keep watch that morning to make sure that Rei didn't try anything. But after the endless silence of Castle Oblivion, Roxas' shout had even made him jump.

"I know where we need to go," Roxas said, leaping to his feet. He snatched the old book, knowing they'd need it for reference later.

"What're you talking about?" Rei growled, obviously irked at being woken so abruptly. His cold, piercing blue eyes shot daggers at Roxas through his messy brown hair, sticking up from how he'd lain on the chair.

"I had a dream last night. Axel told me what to do," Roxas said distractedly, gathering their stuff from around the room.

"Oh, a dream. _That's _motivation," Rei said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes.

"A dream? Roxas, are you sure that's enough to call a lead?" Namine asked, looking worried.

"He told me what we have to do to get those lost souls. Well, not exactly, he's always been like that. But I know now what we need to do," Roxas explained, throwing Yuri's jacket over his head as he passed by. He held out his hand, fingers outstretched, and a portal appeared before him.

"Trust me; I know what I'm doing."

"But what about Sora? Kairi? They have no idea what's going on," Riku protested, pushing himself off of the floor.

"We can tell them what's going on later, they're still asleep anyways," Roxas said dismissively, waving a hand as if casting the thought away.

"But…."

Yuri cut him off. "Trust me, Riku," he said, his eyes fixated upon the portal with a sick look in his eye. He shuddered, as if the empty black emitted a cold wind. "If that goes where I think it does, they don't want to follow."

---

As soon as Riku's foot felt slid ground again, a wave of horrible recognition washed over him. It was that dark, endless world, where he had found Yuri. Where the darkness had almost eaten his heart again….

Rei stepped through the portal beside him, peering around the darkness skeptically.

"Where is this?" he asked. But even the arrogance in his voice had disappeared.

"Put simply, darkness. It's where most of us Nobodies end up. Yuri, I'm guessing you're not an exception?" Roxas asked, glancing over his shoulder at Yuri. The Nobody's hands were wrapped tightly around him, and he nodded glumly. Namine glanced over at Riku.

"Are you alright? You're the only one the darkness can really affect. Even me and Roxas…we used to be Nobodies, so we're tolerant."

Riku shook his head, dismissing her concern, though his skin was squirming and his hands shifted in his pockets.

"Souls lost to darkness," Roxas murmured, as if reciting a quote he had once heard. "This is pretty much as dark as it gets."

"But we have to find a tower, right? How could we not have noticed that before?" Namine asked. Roxas shrugged.

"It must have been farther in the darkness, where we wouldn't dare to go. But now that we're stronger and now that we have a reason, there's no way we won't find it."

---

They had wandered through the darkness for hours. By then even Roxas, Namine and Yuri were slowing down. Yuri cast a glance at Riku, who was struggling to keep from stumbling. His fingers dug into his arms, crossed over his chest.

"You okay?" he asked. Riku nodded, not looking at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, forcing energy into his voice.

"Phht…," Rei snorted, rolling his eyes. But even he couldn't ignore the darkness that sapped all his energy.

Roxas suddenly stopped short, holding up a hand to stop the others.

"What is it?" Namine asked. Roxas pointed ahead of them, and they all froze.

It seemed like a sea of Heartless. A wall. Everywhere they looked, little yellow eyes were staring at them, unblinking.

"You feeling well enough for a fight, guys?" Roxas asked, Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in his hands.

"Hell yeah," Riku said with sincere energy this time, feeling the hilt of his own sword materialize in his hands. He hesitated, glancing over at Rei. Fighting Heartless….

But Rei's weapons were already out. He sneered at the vacant eyes of the Heartless. "Stupid, weak bastards," he hissed through his teeth. "Weak hearted…not even enough to take human shape."

"Well, I'm glad you're coming down with us," Roxas said, pointing over the Heartless' heads. 'Cuz there's our tower."

---

They slammed the door behind them, breathing hard.

"Everyone here?" Roxas asked, panting, leaning against the wall not only to make sure it stayed shut but also to keep his legs from collapsing underneath him.

"Yeah," Yuri replied, doing a quick head count. "It looks like no one's injured, too."

"Okay," Roxas said, straightening and taking a final large breath to calm his heartbeat. "Now that we're all safe in the tower, it's probably a good time to call Sora and Kairi and tell them what's going on."

"I don't think 'safe' is the right word…," Riku murmured, looking up at the cold stone room around them. It was eerily quiet, and although there were no Heartless that he could see, there were definitely noises that came from the rooms around them that sounded like they weren't friendly. He jerked to his right defensively as he heard scuffling talons.

"Wh-where…?" Kairi murmured, looking up around them.

The explanation didn't take long, and within minute they were creeping through the tower, weapons in their hands. Riku had been right; there were strange monsters all over the place. Some looked like overweight puffball birds, others like phantom horses, and the rest were just too strange to even start to describe. But the strangest thing of all was that there wasn't any Heartless to be seen.

"All these strange monsters, but….no Heartless?" Sora asked, almost to himself as he yanked his Fenrir from a motionless puffball corpse. "There were so many outside. How could there be none in here? Not even a single Shadow?"

"There are Heartless here," Rei murmured, sweeping his blades through the air to keep his muscles moving. "At least, something resembling them. I can sense them."

"But then where are they?" Kairi asked.

"Locked away," Yuri answered, a chill racing through him as he imagined how it must be, locked in this endless dark for years and years, an eternity. "Heartless' souls, waiting to be freed, so they can be real again."

Kairi stopped short. "Wait, Heartless souls? Does that mean we'll be attacked once we let them out?"

Riku shook his head. "No, I don't think so. These are just the souls of the people that have let their hearts be taken by the darkness. Rei must be able to sense them because they are both Heartless and Nobodies. None of them are whole."

"So then where are they?" Kairi asked, glancing at Rei. Rei nodded towards the floor.

"Down a few stories. I can't tell exactly how far, though."

"That doesn't matter yet, though," Sora cut in. "Roxas says that we can't just let them go. Axel said something about treasures and…guardians."

"They never make it easy," Riku muttered, rolling his eyes.

"How many guardians?" Yuri asked, glancing over at Sora as they walked.

"Three," Sora replied. "Darkness, light, and life. Oh, watch it…." He whipped out his Fenrir, diving at yet another puffball that had turned around the corner. Two slashes later the bird squeaked, crumpling to the floor. Sora stepped over the body. "He doesn't know where, not even what they look like. All he knows is that they're big…and fierce," Sora murmured, an image flashing before his eyes for a split second. Large, red eyes….

"Lets start heading up," Kairi suggested. "Odds are they'll be up there, since we'll have a lot more ground to cover.

---

"Ninety-eight… …freaking… …stories….," Riku gasped, dragging himself up the last few steps.

"At _least_," Rei pointed out, right behind him. He collapsed against the wall next to the staircase. "We didn't even start on the first story, remember? The Heartless were below us."

"_Zombies?!_," Sora said, so tired it almost came out as a squeak. "Am I the only one who saw _zombies_?"

"Floor seventy-nine," Yuri recited almost automatically, collapsing to the floor. "I think our first mistake was when we started running."

"There were freaking _zombie _armies. What did you expect us to do?" Sora demanded.

"The more we ran, the more we picked up," Yuri said, sitting on the floor next to them all, panting. "Pretty soon, there were hundreds tailing us."

"Stop talking," Riku growled, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall.

"You're just mad that I'm right."

Riku growled again."

"Hey, guys, look at this." Sora looked up at Kairi, the tone in her voice making his skin crawl. It was the 'something really strange just happened again' tone. He pushed himself to his feet, walking up beside her to the window she was staring out of. He rested his hands on the window ledge, leaning down so he could peer into the darkness below.

But there wasn't any.

"Whoa," Sora murmured, stunned. The others hurried to see what they were looking at.

Below them, it was anything but dark. It was almost like a desert, or even a beach. Ruins of buildings scattered the area, crawling with monsters. Trails wound all the way through the ruins and monsters, leading to a door straight below them, into the tower.

"What happened? That's now how we got in," Yuri asked, blinking at the bright light.

"We must have used a different doorway," Rei murmured, looking down at the scene below them with narrow eyes, irritated at the sudden sunshine. "There could be countless doorways leading to countless worlds in this tower. After all, every lost spirit ends up here, doesn't it?"

Sora hadn't thought of that before. How many souls could there be locked in here? Millions? So many he couldn't even start to imagine.

"Hey, look at that," Riku said, leaning far over the edge so he could point at something off in the distance. "It looks like an airship but…not like any I've seen before. It's much more high tech than in the one in Cloud's memories." The others followed his gaze. Sure enough, there was an airship, an anchor dropping to the ground and keeping it in place. Three figures appeared from the bottom of the ship, sliding down the rope and to the ground. Riku started. "Wh…whoa! That chick has rabbit ears!"

He instantly had all of the guys' attention.

"Well _she's _definitely dressed for the beach," Rei said, raising his eyebrows. A temple in Kairi's forehead throbbed in irritation.

"Okay, okay, guys, enough sightseeing. We need to get those treasures, don't we?" she scoffed, snatching Sora by the collar and yanking him back so hard he choked.

Suddenly the ground beneath them shook, and there was a monstrous roar. Everyone froze.

"Please tell me that was an angry Kairi," Riku said, turning. But Sora shook his head, his gaze sliding towards the ceiling. Everything was still for a long moment, nobody even daring to breathe. But again there was an earth shattering roar, the tower shaking so much this time that they all fell to the floor. Yuri teetered on the windowsill, barely able to throw himself backwards to keep himself from falling to the ground far below.

The ceiling crumbled, rubble falling all around them. They yelled and covered their heads with their arms, cringing. Sora drew Kairi close, shielding her as best he could. When at last the rumbling stopped, they peered from behind their hands up to the ceiling high above them.

The ceiling was gone. At least, most of it was. There was an enormous, gaping hole in the middle, small debris and dirt falling around them. But that wasn't nearly as startling as the huge, black dragon staring down at them, his red eyes gleaming.\

The beast was so tall that they would only be able to reach up to its stomach when it was on all fours. Sharp, cruel looking horns protruded from its snout, head and spine. Its lip curled to reveal rows of sharp white teeth, standing out against its jet black scales. Its long talons twitched greedily, its wings folding and unfolding as it readied itself.

_Darkness, _Sora heard Roxas say in awe. _That's it, Sora. That's one of the guardians._

_But where's the treasure?_

Roxas didn't have an answer to that. And Sora didn't have time to wait. Because just then, the dragon leapt through the hole and onto the ground before them. It roared again, making their hair fly back in their faces.

Riku cringed. He could feel darkness radiating off of the dragon before them, sizing them up with its glowing red eyes. Darkness, light, and life. That's what Roxas had said. So then this one must be the darkness…..

"Sora!" he shouted, stepping forwards. "Leave this one to me!"

"What? But…Riku?" Sora asked, and Riku could already see arguments forming in his mind.

"Trust me, Sora. If this is darkness, then I'm the only one who stands a chance against it. You've never felt it take you over before. You don't know what to expect."

"Exactly! We don't know what to expect! We've never fought anything like this before."

The dragon wasn't going to wait forever. Riku gritted his teeth. He had to get Sora and the others out of here before they got hurt.

"Sora, I can't fight to the best of my ability worrying about you. I know how to fight off darkness, I've done it before. I can beat this guy. You have to trust me."

Sora hesitated, but finally nodded. "Alright. We'll look for the other guardians. We'll meet you downstairs." He nodded towards the others and they took off, making sure not to take their eyes off of the dragon before them. But the guardian wasn't even glancing at them. It seemed much more interested in the single boy standing before him, staring him straight in the eye with determination.

Out of the corner of his vision, Riku caught a flash of silvery blonde. He glanced to his left, and sure enough there was Yuri, watching him. There was a look in his eye that made Riku feel a pang of guilt, but he fought it away.

"Don't worry," he said, feeling his Way to the Dawn materialize in his hands. "I'm not trying to go down like a hero. I'm not planning on going down at all." He flashed Yuri a grin. "Trust me, I'll meet you down there soon. Make sure you don't beat all the rest before I get there."

Yuri nodded, slightly reassured. Then he dashed down the staircase after the others. Riku turned back to the dragon, bracing. The dragon snarled in a sort of cruel gin, so bloodthirsty it made a chill crawl up Riku's spine. But clamped down on his fear, forcing it away. He twirled his Keyblade in his hands, braced, and lunged.


	18. Black Heart

Riku leapt back, arching his back to avoid the dragon's claws, seething with darkness. He stumbled as he landed, but regained his footing and immediately leapt into another blow. His blade found flesh, striking the skin just above the beast's shoulder. The dragon howled and snapped up its wings, striking Riku in the stomach and flinging him back again. Riku landed on his back with a grunt, barely managing to scramble out of the way before a black tail crushed him.

He was distracted. He couldn't help it. He had seen the look in Sora's eyes when he had said that he wanted to fight this dragon alone. And the truth was he hadn't been completely honest. He had never told anyone about those dreams when mako had infected him. He had known there was no escaping the fact that there was so much darkness inside of him, especially after being taken over it for so long. But…the truth was almost unbelievable. His heart was darker than he thought possible. He had to prove he could fight it.

But worst of all was the look in Yuri's eyes. He thought he was being selfish again, thinking only of ending his life. Yuri had woken him up; made him realize how much he had. He wouldn't give all that up. But that meant he had to prove it. It meant he had to survive this fight.

Riku leapt over a lashing tail again, this time running along the back, making sure not to trip over the spikes. The dragon lashed its tail, craning its neck to look at the boy darting up his spine, but Riku kept his footing, leaping onto the dragon's spine and away from the flailing tail. He dropped to his knees, snatching one of the spines in his left hand as the dragon attempted to throw him off again, holding his ground. The dragon snapped its teeth, trying to close them around his prey, but Riku ducked out of the way, the dragon's jaw so close he felt the spines graze his shoulders. Only then did he strike, bringing his blade up underneath the dragon's chin, straight up through his mouth. The dragon howled so loudly the walls shook, flailing so wildly that Riku couldn't help but to be thrown off. The dragon writhed, clawing pathetically at the sword that speared its tongue to the bottom of its mouth.

Riku straightened, watching it for a moment. He almost pitied it. But he shook his head vigorously, casting the thought from his head. He couldn't pity this thing – it was trying to kill him. And if he was going to open that door, this guardian needed to be dead.

He opened his eyes just in time to see the dragon wrench the sword from its flesh with a hooked claw, black blood spraying from the wound. It growled, shook its head as if to shake away the pain, and turned back to Riku, a new rage burning in its crimson eyes.

---

Yuri ran down the steps, his breath tearing at his throat. He knew he should trust Riku. He knew what he was doing. But still…. Yuri couldn't help it. He knew he should be thinking of Riku's safety, but all he could think about is becoming whole again. If Riku died….

Sora, a few steps ahead of them, stopped short. Everyone skidded, barely keeping from running headlong into each other.

"What is it?" Rei growled, his hand slammed against the wall in an attempt to keep from falling forward down the stairs.

Sora didn't answer. Kairi bit her lip.

"Riku?"

"…Yeah."

"He told us to keep going and find the other guardians."

"Yeah, I know."

Yuri sighed, leaning against the wall. He was thinking the exact thing that Sora was, he was sure. _Should they leave him?_

---

Riku brought up his blade to block yet another blow from the dragon's claws. He was moving so fast…. How could anything that large move that fast? Swearing under his breath for what seemed like the hundredth time he leapt to the side, bringing back his Keyblade to counterattack. But the dragon was too fast, whirling around and lashing him back with his tail. Riku flew and hit the opposite wall, feeling his breath leave him. He hit the ground with a thud and a groan, cringing. He felt thundering feet coming closer and struggled to gather his strength, diving out of the way just before jaws snapped around him.

Panting, he rose to his feet and clutched the hilt of the Way to Dawn in his fist. He leapt aside as another lash from the dragons tail came his way, but this time rolled as he hit the ground. Bracing his feet against the stone floor, legs bent up to his chest, he leapt as high as he could into the air. The dragon snapped at him but he arched his back, curving in the air just around the sharp fangs. Flipping at the arc of his jump he landed squarely on the dragon's head, his fingers closed around the smooth, curved horns with his free hand. The dragon snarled and threw back its head, but Riku didn't falter. Using the dragon's attempt to shake him off to swing him around the dragon's neck, he hooked his legs around the dragon's massive horn and took his Keyblade in both hands. Then, with a roar, he plunged the blade deep into the dragon's throat at the base of the jaw.

That was too much. The dragon howled again as the blade grazed its throat from the inside, lashing its head back and forth. Riku cried out and threw his arms around the dragon's horn as the beast reared up on its hind legs, clawing the air in desperation. The dragon thrashed and flailed, Riku doing all he could to keep from being thrown off, even though both his arms and legs were wrapped around the horn to keep him in place.

The dragon brought its front legs down to the ground with crushing force, making the room around them shake. Riku felt his heart leap into his throat as he felt the ground beneath them lurch. There was a loud crumbling as stone fell out from beneath the dragon's feet to the floor below. The dragon snarled, spreading its wings, but in the cramped room it could barely spread them half its normal wingspan. It looked up to the hole which it came through, but couldn't get strong enough footing to rise up high enough to take hold of the edge of the hole in the ceiling.

Riku unhooked his legs, swinging upright so he was crouching on the dragon's neck, gripping each horn in a tight fist. His heart was pounding. He was going to fall. And if he fell, the rock or even the dragon would crush him in an instant. He could escape, run along the beast's spine and leap to the floor and run for the staircase, but the beast wasn't dead yet. If they were going to get through that door, this dragon needed to be dead, and the treasure needed to be theirs. It was inches from death now. If he could only finish him in time and escape….

The dragon tried to stand again, causing the floor beneath them to crumble instantly. The dragon scrambled to a safer spot and Riku almost lost his balance, almost falling forwards and rolling off of the dragon's snout.

Gripping the black, smooth horn again, Riku wrapped his legs back around it and leaned down, reaching for the Way to Dawn. He stretched as far as he could without losing his grip on the horn, gritting his teeth as he struggled to reach farther. He let go of the horn with his hand and snatched quickly at the dragon's jaw to stretch farther. The dragon's lip curled right beside Riku's eye and it snapped, trying to take Riku's head off. But Riku ducked, still reaching for the hilt of his sword. Almost there….

"Riku!"

Riku whirled towards the shout, eyes wide. Sora ran through the doorway, skidding to a stop and letting out a cry of shock as he saw the slowly crumbling floor. Yuri, Kairi and Rei followed, skidding to a stop and stepping back quickly as they saw the floor crack beneath their feet.

"Riku!" Sora shouted again, waving for him to follow. "Get over here! The room's gonna collapse!"

Riku hesitated, looking back at the sword, his hand still half reaching for it. Only one more stab, that would all it would take. It may be a dragon, but it still couldn't stand much more, Riku could tell. If he could just work fast….

"_Don't worry. I'm not trying to go down like a hero. I'm not planning on going down at all."_

His own words echoed through his head and he drew back. He clenched his fist, drawing it back and abandoning his sword. There would be another chance. He turned to pull himself back up, but just then something caught his eye.

The dragon lashed again, this time turning towards the newcomers. Yuri started, holding up his hands and summoning darkness. Black enveloped the dragon's red eyes, making him howl, unable to see. It thrashed again, but blind it was no threat.

"Riku!" Sora shouted a third time, holding out his hand, waiting for him to jump. Back on top of the dragon's neck, Riku carefully let go of the dragon's horns, being careful not to be thrown off by the dragon's sudden lashes and lurches as it sensed prey around it and felt the ground fall out from underneath its feet. By now there was a gaping hole in the middle of the floor, and it was steadily growing larger. The dragon was standing above it, trying to make its way to the wall opposite of Sora and the others but drawing back in fear as its foot fell through the gaping hole.

Riku rose to his feet, holding his arms out to steady itself. Then he turned, edging along the dragon's shoulders. He stopped at the wing, which was still spread slightly, helping the dragon keep its balance. He hesitated a moment, but knew he couldn't wait any longer as the dragon gave another lurch. Taking a deep breath, he ran along the bone of the wing, his feet pounding against the scaly skin. The dragon, feeling weight on its wing, drew it back instinctively, and Riku tripped as the scaly skin moved out from underneath him. The world flashed around him in fast forward, and it was all he could do to keep from freezing on the spot. Taking a final step he threw himself into the air, his arms waving wildly as his heart pounded, seeing the gaping hole underneath him. He hadn't jumped far enough. He was going to fall.

But just before he was out of reach, he felt two pairs of hands close around him, taking his flailing arms. His heart still in his throat, pounding wildly, he looked up. Kairi and Sora held him up, leaning over the still crumbling floor. Yuri gripped their collars, keeping them from falling down as well.

Behind them Riku heard a monstrous yell. Craning his neck to look over his shoulder, Riku saw the dragon, the ground finally too weak to support him, writhe and fall as the ground crumbled from beneath him. It spun in the air, trying to spread its wings, but there wasn't enough room. Down far below they heard a loud, sickening thud. Then there was silence.

Finally Riku felt his heart ease back into his chest. Looking back up, he gave them a smile, his smirk as strong as ever. "Told you I could handle it."


	19. Heartless

Rei's steps echoed through the dark halls, twice as loud as they reached his ears. His hands were stowed in his pockets, his shoulders slouched as his eyes lazily scanned the halls. Another pesky beast charged him as he rounded a corner, and Rei sighed. With a flick of his wrist his blade materialized in his hand and had sliced the thing in two, stepping through it as it faded into nothingness as all the other beasts of this world did.

The ground beneath his feet shook and dirt fell from the ceiling and clung to his hair. Pausing for a moment he glanced up, frowning slightly. The roars that had followed him down the corridor for so long had finally been silenced. Turning his head down so his brown hair brushed his brow, he continued down the hall. The guardian was dead. Whether they had saved the boy or no was not his concern. Pulling his hand lazily from his pocked he brushed back his hair, tucking it behind his ear. Only two left. He thought back to what the kids had told him. They knew his Nobody. And by getting Rei his heart back that nobody would live again, along side Rei. But if the Nobodies memories were restored, if they were stronger…Roxas would see his friend again, but did that mean that Rei would disappear? Or at least fade? He wanted his memories and heart back, but was he willing to sacrifice himself to get them? His frown deepened, the slight movement causing his hair to slip free from his ear and fall before his face again.

He heard a cry from the next room over, and then a thud as someone fell over. He stepped around the corner to see a young woman sprawled on the floor, a grimace on her face. One of the horse creatures towered above her, shifting from hoof to hoof as it readied the final blow. But Rei didn't give the beast a second thought. All his attention was on the girl. Rabbit ears. It was the girl they had seen from the top of the tower.

The horse reared up, kicking its front hooves in the air with a loud whinny. The rabbit-eared girl cried out and drew away. But before the hooves cut flesh there was a blur and a whisper of wind as something hissed past. And instant later the horse had vanished, dead, one of Rei's scythe-like weapons lodged into the opposite wall, sunk into the stone from the force that he'd thrown it.

"Thank you," the girl said, and Rei raised an eyebrow at the way she spoke. It was strange…almost slurred. But he couldn't help but to be intrigued by it. She pushed herself up, brushing dust off of her long white hair. Her clothes were…. Rei tried to think of a word to describe them that wouldn't be rude. Original? Creative? She had long, rabbit-like feet and wore stiletto heels, probably the only kind of shoe that could support such long feet. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, tied back with a black strap and a green jewel glinting in it.

She walked over to where her bow lay a distance away, probably where she had dropped it.

"My name's Fran," the rabbit-girl said, slinging her bow over her shoulder.

"Rei," Rei said with an almost dismissive nod. Then he turned, heading for the opposite doorway.

"Wait," Fran said, taking a step forward again. Rei half turned, looking over his shoulder.

"I need help finding my companions. We got separated during a fight with Fenrir. I'm not strong enough to find them on my own…can I follow you until I find them?"

Rei looked her over. Maybe she could help…. He doubted he could defeat a guardian on his own.

"Sure," he said, turning and walking out of the open doorway, yanking his blade out of the wall as he went. "Are you here to find the guardians as well?" He felt Fran pause and stopped, glancing over his shoulder again. "What?"

Fran shook her head as if shaking way fog. "Mist…," she murmured in her slurred tone.

"What?"

"That must be…the mist that I've been feeling," Fran continued, the strength returning to her voice. She looked at Rei again, this time with a look in her eye that Rei could only decipher as curiosity.

"Mist?" Rei frowned.

"Whenever strong enemies are nearby…the mist can be a warning to those who sense it."

Mist…was that the same as he was feeling? He felt a fain energy…not exactly like when Nobodies or Heartless were nearby, but definitely similar. Was that coming from guardians?

"Well, whatever it is, keep your eyes peeled. The last one was a dragon, so I'm sure that this one will be similar."

Rei heard voices coming from a few rooms over. He recognized them at once.

"Ah, here we are," Rei said, nodding towards the noise. "My group is this way."

But he felt Fran pause. Again. He turned and looked over his shoulder. Again. "What?" he asked, unable to keep the sour tone out of his voice.

"I'm sorry," Fran said, biting her lip and looking away. "But I'm not used to asking humans for help. It was a stretch for me to ask even you. Many more, and…."

Rei nodded. "Yeah. I get it. But come on, we can't wander forever."

She watched his back as he walked down the corridor, and a venomous grin made its way across her face. Guardians? So he knew about them. She would just have to make sure that they didn't make it out of here to tell everyone their secret; if they hadn't already. This man was first, then the others. She would find them easy enough later.

She ran her fingers through her pale teal hair. She was lucky this man was easily seduced; she wouldn't have been able to manipulate multiple people's senses at the same time, and things could have gotten hectic if they realized that she wasn't what she appeared.

He was putting on the tough act; she could tell. She'd seen it before, countless times. Pretending that he didn't care, but deep down…. She succumbed to another grin. He couldn't get enough of her. Nobody could resist her charm; they didn't have much of a choice. She could use her senses to utterly and completely manipulate them. Men were putty in her hands.

But there was no telling how long Rei would be fooled. She would have to finish him off soon, and keep the guardians a secret.

Rei sat against a cold stone wall, breathing hard. "How large…is this place?" he muttered, putting his hands on his knees and dropping his head so his chin rested on his chest, trying desperately to regain strength. Fran sat down against the wall opposite of him, panting slightly.

"I apologize," she murmured. "I really thought it'd be easier than this to find my companions."

"Don't worry about it," Rei said gruffly, looking up and scanning the next room to make sure there weren't any more monsters nearby that he hadn't noticed. "I'm just wandering until I find another guardian. It doesn't matter to me if you tag along or not."

"Good," Fran said, rising to her feet again. "We should move on then, before the beasts return."

"We're fine," Rei growled, folding his hands behind his head as a pillow and lying against the wall, closing his eyes. "I'm tired. We can spare a few minutes."

Fran's eyes suddenly went wide, and she whirled for the doorway. "No we can't," she said, snatching her bow from her shoulders.

She barely scrambled out of the way fast enough. A second later there was a gurgled roar and a crash of steel, and a beast Rei had never seen before burst into the room. It looked as if it had been sewn together in places; or at least that it had been through so many battles that stitches were the only thing holding it together. It had even lost its head in battle, sewn together where its neck had been, a metal plate strapped down on top of it. A large blade that looked like a misshapen butcher's knife was attached to its fist and it was completely covered in armor from the waist down.

Rei gave a scornful snort and sprang to his feet and out of the way just before the blade slammed into him, the force of the blow crushing the stone and sending pieces of rubble flying.

The crescent-blades materialized into his hands and he stepped before Fran, holding his weapons before him in a defensive stance.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. "Shoot arrows if you want to, but make sure to stay out of the way."

Fran nodded, pulling an arrow from her quiver and stepping farther back to avoid being caught in the battle.

Rei swung his blades in the air as if cutting flesh, sizing up his opponent. The thing was huge, much taller than he was. Not nearly as large as the dragon, of course, but overwhelming for a humanoid. His blade danced in the air, warming up his muscles. The creature shifted, as if barely able to keep itself upright. It looked like it could barely function, much less fight. But that didn't mean Rei was going to be foolish enough to underestimate him.

Rei dove for the mutated beast as it stepped out of its dive, slashing his blades across his back. The thing howled, whirling and swinging it's misshapen knife in a wild arc. Rei ducked, slamming the tip of his blade through his opponent's stomach. The thing stumbled, and Rei felt warm blood on his face. He didn't hesitate. Leaning into his blow he forced the blade deeper into the creature's gut, the blood running over his hands. The smell was overwhelming; of rotten flesh and decay.

The creature brought down its weapon, and Rei had to roll to get out of the way in time. The thing stumbled from loss of blood, but straightened almost instantly. The rocks scattered and Rei's attention snapped upwards, knowing the creature would be alerted by the sound. Sure enough, it charged with such speed that Rei could barely leap out of the way in time, feeling the wind of the blade's passing inches from his face. Rei clenched his teeth, landing and springing back to increase the space between them. Even after all those wounds it fought as if it was fresh on the battlefield. Did it not feel pain?

Rei heard a cry and started. Fran ducked out of the way, scrambling away from the flailing knife of the creature. There was a flash and Rei had dove between them from above, his blade cutting up through the beast's ribcage as he flipped to his feet. The misshapen creature staggered, and Rei shot a glare at Fran.

"Move!" he ordered. Fran nodded and ran a distance away, pulling an arrow from her quiver. Rei yelled as the mutant tried to hit him back with its arm, forcing Rei to let go of his weapon and scramble back to safety. He hurried back a few feet, but was back in an instant. He dove forwards again, sprinting towards his opponent. He leapt into the air, pulling his knees up to his chest. Then he kicked out has hard as he could, slamming both heels into the thing's collarbone. The mutant flew backwards as Rei twisted in the air, landing smoothly on the ground.

Fran nocked the arrow into the bow, pulling back the bowstring. One shot…that's all she needed. She saw the creature stumbling to its feet, coated in blood, she saw Rei rising to his feet before it, saw the back of his head….

There was a flash of movement, a blur, and sudden piercing pain. Fran's breath caught in her throat. She tasted something bitter on her tongue and started. _Blood?_

A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she felt warm breath on her ear. "You seem surprised," Rei said, and Fran felt her heart skip at his voice. How did he…?

"Illusionist. Nymph. Siren. Call yourself what you like. But more importantly, I know what you really are." The blade forced its way further into her flesh and she stifled a gasp, almost crumpling to the ground. The illusion around her flickered, and a completely different person immerged. Her hair was a pale blue, her eyes so dark they were almost black. Her skin was so fair that it seemed to be a pure white. Not Fran at all; a completely different person. The siren felt Rei tear the band from her hair, examining the emerald with smug pride. "A guardian."

"You…you…," the siren forced out through clenched teeth, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You may be able to manipulate my senses into thinking things are real, even when they're not," Rei said, glancing up at the creature, rocking back and forth on its heels as if in a daze. "I bet that thing isn't even real, is it? Just more spells to confuse me, making me think I'm hitting something?" He laughed. "I must have looked like a fool, striking at nothing." Yes, he could see it now. The beast, the blood, even the spot where the mutant had crushed the stone floor. It was all fading. His blade, which had still been stuck into the creature's chest, clattered to the floor as the magic suspending it weakened.

"But you…you should have…!"

"As I said before," Rei said again into her ear. "You may be able to mess with my senses, but you can't mess with something that isn't there. Like a heart. How many men have you seduced? Hundreds? You can't manipulate me into loving; you'll find it impossible."

He wrenched the blade from her back, letting her fall to her knees on the floor. She doubled over, clutching her wound that bled freely through her fingers. She clenched her teeth, already stained red. "You…you heartless…bastard…," she hissed.

"That's half true," Rei said, twirling the emerald band on his finger and striding from the room, not giving the guardian a second glance.

* * *

Yes, I realize there are probably flaws in the last battle. Lemme alone. XD

btw I've heard people use "nocking an arrow" when they're fitting an arrow onto their bowstring, but my Microsoft Word doesn't like it and says it's spelled wrong…does anyone know if that's the right word?


	20. Blood

"Got one," Rei said coolly, tossing the hair band to Sora. Sora barely turned in time to catch it.

"Where were you?" Sora asked, studying what Rei had thrown him.

"Out hunting guardians. This one was a shape shifter; took form of that girl we saw from the top of the tower earlier."

"Are you telling me that while I was up there fighting a giant dragon, you were wandering around here with the bunny girl? How unfair is that?" Riku snapped. Rei just shrugged.

"Did you get the treasure from the dragon?" he asked. Sora shook his head.

"Not yet. We're heading down to get it now. Riku saw it right before he escaped, but didn't have time to grab it."

"So that means we only have one left, right?" Kairi asked, looking over at the others as they started walking.

"Brilliant deduction skills," Rei muttered. Sora shot him a glare.

"How far down do you think we have to go?" Yuri asked.

"Judging by the crash after the fall," Riku answered, "pretty far."

"Here we go again," Yuri muttered as they made their way down the stairs.

* * *

"Here, here it is," Kairi called, making the others stop short and turn to face her. Kairi was peering through an open doorway. "At least, I think it is," she said, not as sure this time. The others came back to look through the door she faced.

Light streamed from a hole in the roof, showing every speck of dust that clung to the air from the collapse. That was the only light in the room, the rest was pitch black. There was a mound of rubble in the middle of the light, a highlighted silhouette in the center of the room.

"Whoa," Riku murmured, peering around the stone doorway. "That's cool looking. I don't see any dragon, though."

"It's probably mangled by the rubble," Rei said, stepping around them and into the dark room.

Kairi and Sora shot glances at each other. "Mangled?" they mouthed.

They stumbled over the rubble, throwing stones and working together to get the big ones out of the way. Finally after moving an exceptionally large rock and reaching for another in the shadows. Sora felt his hand brush leather. Not exactly what he had been expecting. He jerked back with a yelp that echoed through the empty room, making his face turn red.

"I think I found it," Sora said, trying to shrug off his almost-squeak. The others hurried over, working to uncover what Sora had discovered. But Sora still caught Riku's glance; eyebrows raised, wide grin, a face that plainly said, "What was _that_?"

"It's a wing!" Yuri called, pulling aside more rubble. "It's the dragon's wing!"

"So where's the treasure supposed to be?" Kairi asked, tuning to Riku. He studied the crumpled and torn wing.

"I managed to catch a glimpse of something right at the base of its throat," Riku said, pulling more rocks away in the direction of the head. "It was where the neck meets the collarbone."

They scrambled over the rubble, helping Riku pushing rocks out of the way. The more they uncovered, the quieter they got. The dragon was dead, that was obvious. Nothing could have survived that fall and being crushed under all this stone. Besides, it would have started moving if it was. But still…it was unnerving.

Finally the head was uncovered, horns and all. One of the great horns that protruded from its skull was broken, the other half still undiscovered. Its eyes were closed, its neck bent at an abnormal angle. They stood watching it for a moment, silent.

"So, where is it?" Yuri prompted, nudging Riku forward with his elbow. Riku stumbled forward, shooting Riku a glare.

"It should be…somewhere around here," he said, wandering to the base of the neck. He glanced back. Nobody moved. He snorted, curling his lip. "Fine, I'll do it." But when he turned back to the dragon, the sneer was gone. Just an hour earlier this thing had almost taken his head off. He stifled a shudder at the thought of getting that close to those jaws again.

Moving towards the dragon as slowly as his pride would allow, he knelt and pried away the stones under its neck. He struggled with a large one, rolling it down the mound, and couldn't help but to grin with satisfaction as he heard the other scramble out of the way with cries of protest and agitation. Suddenly a glint caught his eye. There it was. The ruby shone red against the black scales, even in the dim light. He squinted at it. It wasn't completely uncovered yet. But once it was, it looked like all he had to do was pry it out of the scales. He moved for another stone, shoving it aside.

The dragon's neck, now with nothing supported it, began to shift. Riku stopped short as the light changed, a shadow creeping up his arm. He looked up just in time to see one of the spikes lining the dragons jaw come down, already almost on top of him. With a yelp that rivaled Sora's, Riku half scrambled, half dove out of the way of the dragon's head, sure it had come back to life for its revenge. He tumbled down the last of the rubble, landing at the feet of the others who were roaring with laughter. Even Rei had a grin on his face, shoulders shaking as he chuckled.

Riku's face went red. "Yeah, yeah, really funny," he said, shooting a glance at the dragon, once again motionless. He heard Sora's laughter above the others. Maybe this would make him think twice before mocking Sora again….

Or maybe not.

"C'mon, guys, help me out here," Riku grumbled, rising to his feet and dusting off his pants. The laughter subsided, and they climbed up the rubble to help Riku get the ruby out from where it was lodged between scales. Yuri slid under the dragon's neck, the stones against his back, and wormed his fingers around the dragon's treasure. The sharp scales pricked his fingers and he winced, but didn't let go. Bracing his feet against the dragon's neck, he pulled with all his strength. Abruptly the ruby snapped free, Yuri smacking against the rubble with a wince.

"Ouch…," he groaned, pulling himself out into the open again. He held up the ruby and Sora took it, holding out his other hand to help him to his feet.

"Okay, that's two," Sora said, putting the ruby in the pouch that hung at his side. "Now where's the last one?"

As if on cue, something clambered over the top of the rubble, looking down at them and silhouetted by the beam of light. A growl rose from its throat, fur bristling. The others all scrambled back, weapons instantly in their hands. They braced, trying to get a good look at their opponent, but the shadows clung too stubbornly to its features.

"What is it…?" Kairi asked, squinting.

The thing advanced towards them, moving like a panther down the stones, gaze unwavering, fixed directly towards its opponent. As it moved forwards the black shadows fell away, revealing large, furry paws, a coiling snake, a snorting goat, and a snarling lion's head.

"Chimera!" Rei shouted, leaping back, the others following his lead. A split second later the snake struck, snapping its fangs right where they had stood moments before. The landed in a half circle, facing the chimera, who's multiple gazes shifted from one target to another. Targeting a single out, it leapt directly for Sora. Sora started, bringing up his Keyblade to block the sharp claws, ramming it against the lion's mouth so it was jammed open, clamped around the Keyblade's blade. Sora grimaced, having to use both hands to hold back the chimera's strength. The lion snarled, unable to bite down. But Sora's eyes widened as he saw the snake curl over the lion's back, drawing back to strike.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed. But it wasn't Sora that heard the call. Roxas brought up Oblivion, smacking the snake's head back, and leapt out of the way before any of the heads could counterattack.

"You're losing it, Sora," Roxas said, twirling his two Keyblades. Now the others dived into the fray, trying to surround the chimera. But it held its own, seemingly able to fight in all directions at once.

"What does the goat do?" Riku muttered to Yuri who fought along side him. The goat head reared back, snorting, and flames leapt from its nostrils, forcing everyone to duck back.

"…Oh," Riku said simply. Yuri snatched his arm.

"Come on!" he demanded, yanking Riku out of line of fire from both the goat and snake head. "You have to keep on your toes," he scoffed. Riku looked over at him in horrified amazement.

"You really think I can't handle myself on the battlefield, do you?" he said, yanking his arm from Yuri's grasp. Yuri whirled to face him.

"This isn't the time."

"Ten bucks says I'll be the one doing to finishing blow."

Yuri eyed him, raising an eyebrow. "Twenty."

"Deal," Riku said with a smirk. "Just remember who came first, right? You're _my _Nobody." And with that he turned, charging back into the fight.

Kairi was doing her best to fend off the chimera with magic when they got back. Roxas was a distance away, pumping healing magic into a slightly wounded arm. He was plainly trying to hurry, knowing that he was useless with a wounded sword arm but also aware that Kairi couldn't last long without help. Any spell she cast was countered by the snake head, lashing it aside as if it were nothing but a feeble attack. She clutched her Keyblade in her hand, ready to use it the moment she needed to.

But before any of her friends could come to her aid, Rei seemingly materialized between them, crescent blades slashing in a wild swing. Not aiming for flesh, but just to drive the chimera back.

The chimera braced, growling. Rei matched his offensive stance, crossing his weapons in front of him, tips pointed towards his opponent. There was a heartbeat, and the two lunged. Rei slashed at the snake head which reared back with a hiss, and barely managed to bring the flat of his blade up to protect himself from the lion's teeth. The goat snorted and Rei braced, squeezing his eyes shut, unable to defend himself any more than that. The was a flash of movement, a grunt, and Rei was on his back in a cloud of dust a distance away with a bruise already forming on the side of his face, his weapons clattering to the floor.

By then Yuri and Riku had reached them, bombarding the creature with a flurry of attacks. Roxas hurried over to check on Kairi, who, despite being out of breath, was uninjured. He sent a quick healing spell Rei's way, then ran forward to help the others.

"Damn thing," Riku muttered in between blows, breathing hard. "Three heads means three brains…three sets of eyes…three tactics. It's too hard to keep up."

"Wanna back down on our bet?" Yuri asked, dodging the snake's fangs. "I understand if you don't think you're a match for this thing."

Riku's eyes flared in anger. "Dream on," he said, sweeping out a hand and hitting the chimera full in the face with a burst of darkness. The chimera faltered, but didn't back down like Riku had expected. Instead it lunged for the source of the pain and Riku started, barely ducking out of the way in time. Yuri wasn't so lucky. He was out of the way of the lion's teeth, but was still thrown back by the chimera's paws, slamming against the ground. It wasn't until he had managed to fight off unconsciousness that he felt the warm trails of blood running down his shoulder and neck, and the sharp pain that accompanied it. He let out a yell, writhing away from the pain, but was pinned down by the chimera's paws. The lion's head was closed around his shoulder, sharp teeth cutting through the skin on his shoulder. He heard Riku give a shout and try to help him, but was fought back by the snake's head. The lion snarled and pulled back its head as if trying to tear Yuri's shoulder off. Yuri grimaced, still trying to worm free of the large paws. Finally he managed to yank one arm free, and didn't hesitate. Slamming his palm against the lion's face, he speared its eye with magic. This time the chimera howled, stumbling backwards as blood wept down its face. Yuri tried to get up but was shaky from pain, barely managing to push himself out of the way of the chimera's flailing claws on his back. Roxas charged past him, shouting orders.

"Kairi, help Yuri! Get him out of the way and mend his wound! If you need to have Namine do it, her specialty is healing. Riku, get over here! You too, Rei! Splitting up is _obviously_ a bad idea, so get your asses over here!"

Riku and Rei leapt up beside him, matching his stride.

"So what now?" Rei asked, sweeping his arm in a large circle, warming up his muscles. "A head for each of us?"

"I'm not getting the goat," Riku said quickly. "I'm not good with fire."

"Shut up and listen," Roxas snapped, making them both start. Roxas stared straight at the chimera, starting to recover from the blow to the eye, practically trembling with rage. "Your tactical skills suck. You're both too arrogant and don't think as a team. I'm not saying we need to tag-team it, just stick together and _don't split up_. Watch each other's backs, okay?"

Rei and Riku shot each other glances over Roxas' head. _Scary._

"He's weak on his right side, that eye is blind."

"You mean one of the six."

"Which is still an advantage for us. Even better, the goat's on the left side, so he can't get to us without burning the lion's head. All we have to watch out for is the snake. If you can, get rid of him first."

"Got it."

And without another word, they leapt. Rei charged the chimera from the front, distracting the lion's head so the others could get to the right. The goat snorted Rei fell back, dodging the flames. The snake whirled, mouth wide and a hiss rising from its throat, weaving back and forth, deciding which to strike. Riku feinted, letting Roxas follow through. He forced the snake to rear back with a strike from Oblivion, and managing to catch it with Oathkeeper as it tried to dodge a second time. By then the lion had noticed the two and struck them back with a clawed paw, not enough to do any damage but to keep them away.

"This isn't working," Rei said.

"It's too fast," Riku agreed, supporting himself by putting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

Roxas frowned, clenching his fists around his Keyblades. This was the only thing standing between him and opening that door. He would win. He had no choice.

He leapt, swinging his Keyblades up to catch the chimera in the chin. It reared back with a roar, the goat head trying to buck him away. Roxas took a blow to the shoulder, but it did little more than graze the skin. He swung his arm in an arc, hitting the goat across the head. The snake struck again, fast as lightning, and only then was Roxas forced to leap back. The chimera followed, too fast for them to brace for. The goat hit Riku full in the chest with its strong horns, sending him flying against the pile of rubble.

"Riku!" Roxas shouted, but didn't have time to see if he was okay. Already the chimera was upon them, ready to tear their throats out it was so furious. Its face was bloody from Yuri's blow, the snake scarred from blows from Keyblades.

"He's alright," Rei said, jumping out of the way of flames. "Just watch your back."

Roxas swept out with his Keyblades, trying to force the chimera back again. But the creature didn't stay back for long, already recognizing a pattern. He leapt and Roxas managed to get in a wild swing, striking the lion across the face and sending him sprawling.

"He's weak," Roxas said, trying to keep from breathing hard as he spoke. "We've almost got him."

The chimera must have realized the same thing. It snarled, took a step back, then turned and dashed into the shadows.

"After it!" Rei ordered. "Don't let it get away, now's our best chance!"

The two sprinted after it, struggling to see in the dim light.

"Damn…," Roxas muttered. "Where'd it go…?"

There was a roar and Roxas felt something hard hit him in the back, throwing him forwards and into the light, knocking the wind out of him. _The chimera_, he thought. _I can't believe I fell for its trap! _He rolled over onto his back, trying to keep himself breathing.

But when he turned, it wasn't chimera teeth that he saw, ready to close around him, though later he almost wished it was. It was Rei that stood before him, back turned, arms crossed to block the chimera's blow. His crescent blades blocked the claws, but the only thing that could fend off its teeth had been his wrists. Blood ran down his forearms in rivers, the chimera's teeth almost completely sunken into Rei's arms it had bitten down so hard. Rei had been the one who had knocked him aside, taking the blow for him.

They were still for a horrified moment, Rei gritting his teeth to bear the pain, Roxas still struggling to take in breath, having an even harder time than before. It wasn't until then that the snake head rose from around the lion's shoulders, a fierce hiss rising from its throat. Roxas struggled to yell, struggled to warn him. It was just like what it had done to Sora. But Rei didn't have anyone else to protect him.

"M…Move!" he finally forced out, trying to push himself to his feet. But Rei didn't budge. If he moved, Roxas would be the one to take the blow. He didn't know why he was standing in the way to save this boy…. This boy that had everything that he wanted. But still…he felt he had to protect him. He didn't know why, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his body away, to save his own skin. He stared into the snake's golden eyes, and barely felt the fangs as they pierced him.

Roxas saw the snake strike, saw him cut Rei's throat. He felt the spray of warm blood on his face. He saw Rei's body go rigged, then limp. He saw him crumple under the chimera's weight, forced into the ground and buried under massive paws. Then he saw nothing, only the trail of darkness that rose into the air, as thin as smoke.


	21. So Long Goodbye

"_Axel."_

_Axel turned, looking at me over his shoulder. "Yeah?"_

_We were on that same building, looking down just as we had days earlier. Weeks, maybe. It's hard to keep track in a world that doesn't exist. _

"_When we were here last…you said something."_

_Axel looked away again, over the dark city. "Did I?"_

_I frown. He's avoiding the question. Does that mean my suspicions are correct?_

"_You made that move…that suicide technique. You said that if you'd ever use it again, you planned on it killing you."_

_Axel didn't answer, cocking his head to look up into the black sky, as dark as the city below._

"_Your exact words were 'To protect someone with my last breath'."_

"_I said that?" Axel asked coolly, looking over his shoulder with a collected grin. _

"_Axel, who were you talking about?"_

_He looks away again, making me even madder. To throw your life away like that is something I couldn't ever agree with. But even worse is to pretend like it's nothing._

"_Axel," I say, more firmly this time. _

"_I think we both know who I'm talking about." And that's all he'd say, nothing more._

* * *

"No!" Roxas screamed, echoing through the room ten times louder and ten times longer by the time it reached his ears. The chimera landed on the ground, confused at the sudden disappearance of its prey. But it wasn't stopped for long.

Roxas watched the chimera approach, slow and calculating. All thoughts of the breath that had been knocked out of him were gone, all he saw was the chimera. He felt something build up inside of him, burning in his chest. An emotion that he could feel, just because he was complete. An emotion that so many others would never know. Pain. Horror. But most of all, rage.

He moved so fast it was as if his body was acting on its own. He didn't think, he didn't plan, he just struck at anything that moved. He felt blows sting his skin, but it was nothing. Not enough to slow him down. Not enough to make him stop. Finally, with a last powerful blow, he swung both of his blades downwards and onto the chimera's skull. There was a jolt, a heartbeat, and then the chimera was on the floor, still.

By the time the others reached him, Roxas was on his ground with his face buried in his hands, kneeling before the chimera. They hurried behind him, at a loss for words.

"What happened?" Namine asked finally, searching the back of Roxas' head as if the answer was there. There wasn't an answer at first, just silence. It took them a moment in the shadows to see that Roxas' shoulders were shaking.

"Are you…crying?" Yuri asked, taking a step forwards.

It hit Riku first. "Where's Rei?" he asked shakily, beginning to understand.

"…Twice." Roxas' voice was so quiet they barely heard it. Namine knelt behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"…What?" she asked, trying to get a look at his face.

"…Twice. Twice he's saved my life, but…." There was a second of silence, and when Roxas spoke again it was a yell that echoed through the halls almost as loud as before, a yell so harsh that it tore at his throat and heart. "I can't even help him once!"

* * *

"The door, here it is," Sora said, tracing his fingers along the etchings in an ancient, dusty door that looked as if it hadn't been opened in years. "At least, I think it is. Do you see anywhere to put the treasure?"

Riku held up the three treasures in his hand. The ruby, the emerald, and the sapphire. He stared at the sapphire for a moment, silent. It was still coated in blood, despite their efforts to get it all off. The chimera had been mangled and bloody after Roxas had been through with it. Afterwards he had been a wreck…so much that Sora had to take over because Roxas wasn't going to budge. Riku sighed. He couldn't help but to feel pity…. This entire journey had started because of Roxas, yet he was the only one who wasn't going to see it end the way he wanted….

"Here," Kairi said, reaching up and grazing the stone with her fingertips. "It looks like it's been engraved to put something here."

"That must be it. C'mon," Yuri said, motioning for Riku to come over. Riku stepped forwards, brushing cobwebs and dust out of the niches for the stones.

"Does it matter which goes where?"

"Probably not," Yuri said, peering at them. "But if so, then odds are they trigger booby traps."

"Wow…pressure," Riku muttered. Finally he resorted to just putting them in the order they found them. "Let's hope that works."

They waited for a long moment, but nothing happened.

"What, no rumbling? No flash of light?" Yuri scoffed. "Didn't the designers of this place ever play video games?"

Sora pressed his hands against the door, braced his feet, and shoved against it with all of his strength. The door budged, but was too heavy for Sora to move on his own.

"Give me a hand," Sora said, forcing himself against the door again. The others lined up beside him, throwing themselves into the heavy stone. The door ground against the floor, an awful grating sound filled their ears, but they could barely hear it as they struggled just to get the door open enough to get through.

The grating slowed to a stop as they looked over, peering into the darkness that emerged.

"Is that enough?" Kairi asked. Sora just nodded, not tearing his gaze away from the darkness to look at her. He stepped forwards tentatively, following the wall with his hands as if it was a lifeline. When he stepped into the dark he felt a chill rush up him from the feet up, as if it came through the floor and through his body. He paused, but forced himself forwards again.

"Do you see anything?" Riku asked quietly, right behind him. He was almost scared to raise his voice. It was obvious nothing was inside, it was so still and silent, but something about the room made his throat clench.

Sora stepped around a corner, still following the wall. He let out a small gasp.

"What is it?" Kairi asked, hurrying forward to look around his shoulder. What she saw made her gasp as well.

Catacombs. Possibly thousands, all set into coffin-like niches carved into the wall. All filled. Every single person that has been or was a Heartless slept in this room, still as death. Yuri walked beside one of the sleeping bodies set into the wall, reaching out hesitantly. The figure was a man, who's clothes looked like he must have once lived in Twilight Town. He let off a pale blue aura, as if a ghost. This person had been real once….

"Are they dead…?" he asked, grimacing, pulling his hand away.

"I don't know," Sora said, facing one of the other bodies on the other side of the wall. Kairi stepped forwards, heading towards a banister that looked down over a large room. She let out another gasp.

"Sora…Riku…Yuri…look at this," she said, such overwhelming dismay in her voice that it was impossible not to look.

Rows and rows, thousands and thousands. Millions. Maybe even more. So far the fog took over their sight before they could even see the far wall. An unimaginable amount of sleeping souls lay before them, so many that Yuri's strength failed him and he fell to his knees.

"That many…? Have the Heartless really taken those many hearts?"

"We have to wake them up," Sora said, his voice steady and unreadable. Riku looked over at him.

"Sora, this is worse than we thought. If Heartless can cause this much damage, this really isn't going to do enough to matter for anything."

Sora whirled on him. "Then what do we do? Just leave?"

Riku stared evenly into his eyes, not daunted by Sora's rage. He recognized that look in his friend's eyes. When he saw something he couldn't prevent…something he couldn't save…. Even something as small as an injured bird on Destiny Islands, to something as large as this. "That's not what I'm saying, Sora. You know that. We'll save these people, we have no choice but to. But you know this isn't what we thought it was. If Heartless can cause this much damage in so little time, this is barely going to put a dent in their strength."

Sora looked away again, his voice returning to emotionless. "Yeah…. Yeah, I know."

"So what do we do?" Kairi asked Sora, smiling, obviously trying to raise his spirits. "We'll do anything we can to help."

Yuri rose to his feet again, nodding.

Sora sighed, thinking. Riku shot him a glance as a thought hit him.

"The Keyblade. Keyblades send hearts to Kingdom Hearts, so they should be able to bring them back, right?"

Sora looked up at him. "Really? Do you think so?"

Riku nodded. "I can't think of any other way to save these people."

"And besides, it won't hurt to try."

The four started. "Namine?" Kairi asked, whirling to face her. Namine stood before them, letting out the blue aura as the other spirits did. Roxas was a few feet away, his gaze shifting from one soul to another, his eyes expressionless. Namine gave them a smile.

"This is where souls dwell; Heartless and Nobodies. Like in the World that Never Was, we can roam as we like." She smiled again. "Now c'mon, Sora, give it a shot."

Sora stepped back, his Keyblade materializing in his hand with a burst of light. He twirled it in his hand, gave it a sharp swing, and then drove the tip towards the sky. A burst of light erupted from the tip, shooting up to the ceiling. Then it exploded like fireworks, thousands and thousands of stars pouring from the ceiling. One landed on the spirit beside them, and the soul twitched. The group started, whirling to face her. The girl's eyes flickered open, she looked around her, and sat up.

"Where…?" she murmured, looking around the cavern.

"It worked," Yuri murmured, wide eyed. They all whirled to face the many sleeping spirits, and, sure enough, they were waking slowly from sleep and rising from where they lay. The group hurried explained to them what was going on, telling them to spread the word.

"We're...dead?" Roxas heard one boy say after he had heard what Namine had to tell him. But Namine shook her head.

"No, you're like me, see?" she said gently, holding out a hand, palm out. He put his hand against hers, and their transparent hands went straight through each other. "We don't look real, do we? Not like the others over there. But we _are_ real. We're just part of something more. See that girl over there? Together, we're as whole as everyone else. That's what you have to do. Go out and look for what makes you whole."

"Look for my real self?" the boy asked, and Namine nodded with a smile.

"Exactly."

Real self... Roxas cringed, looking away. Below him, on the floor below, countless faces stared at each other. Confused, bewildered, horrified, dismayed. He sighed as he looked down at them. How many had people left to go to? How many of those souls had already lost every part of themselves and would wander forever?

Suddenly Roxas felt a sudden cold and a rush of air. He stiffened, chills racing through every nerve in his body. There was a rush of pale blue as a spirit stepped through him, as if oblivious to the boy standing before him. Roxas turned, glaring at the obnoxious soul.

But he didn't see a back like he expected to see. Instead he was caught by bright green eyes, gleaming with smug pride.

Roxas' breath caught in his throat, unable to even think of forming words. It was as if he had come to a complete stop, his mind and body completely frozen.

"Now, now, Roxas. It's rude to stare."

Axel brushed back a strand of bright red hair, its radiant color slightly dulled by the pale blue. He flashed Roxas a grin, arrogance etched into every feature. "What, you're surprised to see me?"

"Axel...? How can you...?"

"This is where lost souls rest. The souls of the Nobodies and Heartless." Axel laughed. "What, you thought I was lost forever, just because of a few dusks? You know I can't be taken out that easy." He nodded to something behind Roxas, the pride in his stare softening in his expression and voice. "None of us can."

Roxas turned, finding himself face to face to eleven familiar faces.

"You're all still here?" Roxas asked, looking from face to face.

"More or less," Xigbar said with a shrug and a grin.

"Our spirits have been sleeping here," Zexion said, his hand wandering to his chin as it always did when he was explaining or solving something, "waiting to be sealed with our others. Our last chance at becoming whole."

"You didn't think you'd be rid of us that easy, did you?" Axel said, ruffling Roxas' hair, just because he hated it. "We won't forget about our hearts that quickly. But this time, we're trying it Sora's way. By sealing Heartless and Nobody together."

Roxas felt a pang. "Axel... Your Heartless..."

Axel heard the tone in his voice and his arrogance dropped completely. He looked up at the other Organization members, then back down at Roxas.

"Roxas, come with me," he said, motioning for them to walk a distance away, where it was less crowded.

They stepped through the mass of spirits, back to where it was quieter and where they weren't in the middle of everything. Axel scanned over the heads of the spirits, letting out a sigh.

"I think you misunderstood me, Roxas," he said. Roxas looked up at him with a start.

"What do you...?"

But Axel cut him off. "That keychain I made. You kept it, right?"

"Yeah," Roxas said, pulling it out of his pocket. He kept that one separate from the others, not with the rest of Sora's keychains. Axel took it gingerly from his hand, studied it for a moment, then crushed it in his fist. Roxas let out a cry.

"What did you...?" he tried again. But again he was interrupted.

"You misunderstood me," Axel repeated. "When made this for you, what was it for?"

"To hold your memories?"

Axel shook his head, like a teacher trying to inform a hopeless student, putting a hand on his hip and looking down at him. "Not _my _memories, Roxas. Just _memories_. I didn't want you do dedicate your life to trying to bring me back to life. I just wanted you to remember everything, not to forget again. I wanted you to keep those memories. But instead, you almost threw your life away trying to save mine."

"And what about you? How did you die, Axel?" Roxas retorted, voice rising. "How can you justify throwing _your _life away?"

Axel smiled again, this time a sad smile, empty of any pride or arrogance. "I guess I can't."

That shut Roxas up.

"I can't justify it, Roxas. But...I knew you had a life before you. You had a Somebody. You could have what we all wanted."

"That doesn't mean your life isn't worth anything," Roxas said quietly, still glaring up at him. Axel laughed.

"Yeah...maybe you're right," he said, ruffling Roxas' hair again.

But this time Roxas didn't glare in protest. A thought had just hit him. "Axel...you were killed, but now you're here."

"It sounds even weirder when you say it out loud," Axel murmured almost to himself, scratching his head. But Roxas ignored his comment.

"You're here. You're still here. So that means that Rei...your Heartless...?"

Axel blinked, a look of pure shock in his eyes. "You let Sora take out my Heartless?"

"What?"

Then Axel's surprise subsided, replaced by the look of regret. "Roxas...we're only here because either the Keyblade, Heartless or Nobody took us from our bodies. How did my Heartless die?"

Roxas looked away, the truth hitting him. "A chimera..."

Axel gave him a sad smile. "Not exactly a Keyblade master, is it?" Roxas shook his head, still not looking at him. Axel hurridly continued. "But that doesn't mean all hope is lost, does it? You found this place, so that means there might be somewhere out there where the other souls go to, right?"

"Right," Roxas said, forcing a smile, looking back up at the soul of his friend. He knew Axel was just saying that to make him feel better... But in a way it did. Even after Roxas had failed, Axel still wanted nothing more than to see him happy, not to see his friend sad.

"Axel...one more thing," Roxas added. "Your Heartless...he seemed really unlike you. But in his last moments...the last thing he did... He died to protect me."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Did he now? Well then...maybe that just proves that us Heartless and Nobodies aren't as different as everyone thinks."

With half a smile Axel bent over so Roxas and he were eye to eye. "And I'm pretty sure you know that I'm not one for long goodbyes."

Roxas nodded, his gaze sliding towards the floor. "Yeah...I know."

Axel put an arm around Roxas' shoulder, bending down farther to force the boy to look him in the face. "I'm glad to know you remember me so well that you're willing to dedicate your new life to helping me out."

Roxas couldn't help but to smile. "How couldn't I, after all you've done?" he said. "Make sure you come straight to Destiny Islands once you're whole again...right?"

"Of course," Axel said, ruffling Roxas' messy hair a final time. He shot him a smile, his devilish eyes glinting once more, vivid with color. "So long," he said with a snap of a wave.

"Goodbye," Roxas murmured as Axel turned, shadowed by the remaining Organization, striding from the catacombs and out into the tower where they were lost in the mass of spirits, all disappearing into the real world.

* * *

"_It's quite alright_

_And goodbye for now._

_Just look up to the stars and believe who you are_

'_Cuz it's quite alright_

_And so long_

_Goodbye." _

_- Sum 41_


End file.
